Viktor Gyokeres does not need goals to be a “problem” for opposition defences, according to to ex-Arsenal winger Theo Walcott.
Gyokeres, 27, was one of the most hotly-anticipated signings of the summer, brought to the Emirates Stadium from Sporting CP for an initial £55m in the hope he would emulate his stunning goalscoring form witnessed in Portugal – where he racked up 97 goals in 102 appearances.
However, the Swede has endured a bumpy start to life in North London and is now on a run of seven club games without a goal, a streak that stretches to nine matches if you include his two international outings this month.
Walcott is not worried about Gyokeres’ dry patch, though, leaping to the striker’s defence to draw attention to what he provides to Mikel Arteta’s side beyond the goals.
“Gyokeres is not scoring as much as you would want him to, however he is a problem,” Walcott said.
“When I say problem, he likes to put the centre-halves on the back foot, he likes to go in behind. It gives more access and freedom for the likes of Eze and Saka because he is basically occupying a couple of defenders.
“Mikel has already said it; he likes to destroy centre-halves. Even if he’s not scoring goals, he’s still a problem for me and he’s the difference of Arsenal not drawing as many.”
He added: “He’s quite happy not even touching the ball at times because he feels involved when he is having a bit of a push and shove with the centre-half, which there’s plenty of.
“They’ll try and frustrate him and try and upset him and I think he could get a bit more aggressive at times. I think he could use his body more because he’s got it in him. But I’ve been happy with what I’ve seen.”
While Gyokeres hasn’t been as prolific in the English top flight as some were expecting – with his only goals this season coming against newly-promoted Leeds and Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest – it has hardly been visible in Arsenal’s results, who sit three points clear at the top of the league after eight games.
Integral to their early success this term has been their rock-solid defence – the best in the league after with only three goals conceded – which has taken some of the pressure off those up front to be on tip-top form.
“They’ve got players that just do things differently now than they ever done in the past,” said Walcott, who believes the often-tedious nature of ‘Arteta ball’ has been justified. “They’ve got a nice mould where at times it’s ‘boring, boring Arsenal’, but they get results.”
After edging past Fulham on Saturday, the Gunners now turn focus to the Champions League as they face the tough visit of Atletico Madrid, who are notoriously difficult to break down for attackers.
Walcott nevertheless feels Europe’s premier competition could be the stage where Gyokeres begins to truly thrive for Arsenal, having torn up the Champions League last term with Sporting. He scored six goals in as many appearances, including a hat-trick against Manchester City.
“I think the Champions League is where the games may become a bit more open for him in time,” he added. “Not particularly this one I wouldn’t have thought, but you put him in the starting line-up against PSG, he probably gets a couple because he is in those positions, because he likes to be in the number nine.
“The Champions League is where Arsenal what to achieve and he could well be the difference. Just occupying defences in a different way, and again he is a goal threat in set pieces which is obviously the main Arsenal battle.
“A lot of people spoke about him not scoring goals, but for me he’s creating chances for other people and he’s getting the best out of other players. I think when you have players that are unselfish – he does his unselfish runs and he doesn’t stop because he’s not getting it – that’s a good player for me.”
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