Masked Man Gyökeres Silences ‘Invisible’ Taunts to Stamp His Authority at Arsenal

If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that every Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the juncture his destiny turned around. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to succeed in his chosen profession. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in professional play, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in attack, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

However having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the opening goal would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.