Gary Lineker, the former England international striker, has recently shed light on why Swedish footballer Viktor Gyokeres is struggling to find his footing at Arsenal. Despite his impressive track record and a hefty £55m price tag from Sporting CP, Gyokeres has scored just five goals in 16 Premier League matches.
Lineker suggests that one of the key reasons for Gyokeres' underperformance lies in his reluctance to gamble in his attacking play. The 27-year-old forward was signed from Sporting CP after an outstanding performance in Lisbon. However, he has not been able to replicate this success during his initial months with Arsenal.
According to Lineker, being daring and taking risks are crucial elements for a striker's success. He believes that these qualities are currently lacking in Gyokeres' game strategy.
Gary Lineker, Premier League legend, said:
"I've watched him (Gyokeres) quite closely the last few weeks and I think he's like most strikers - he waits to see where the ball’s going, waits until it's crossed and then attacks the space. That's what defenders do.
“As a striker you got to gamble on where you think the ball might go and you go just as they're about to cross it. You steal a march on the defender that way and lots of the time the ball won't go there, but I don't see him doing that very often.”
Comparisons with Dominic Calvert-Lewin
To further illustrate his point, Lineker draws comparisons between Gyokeres and Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Leeds United's man-of-the-moment who has scored goals consecutively for six outings. Calvert-Lewin’s attacking movement demonstrates the kind of daring play that Lineker believes is missing from Gyokeres’ approach.
Gary Lineker added:
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin did a perfect example of how to do that for the Leeds goal at Sunderland, perfect. He didn't wait and see where it was going to go,”
“He went right, pulled away and then he sprinted at the near post and hoped that the ball would be delivered there and it was. I don't see that too often from Gyokeres at present, the players that score big numbers will do that. (Erling) Haaland, (Harry) Kane, (Robert) Lewandowski, they know how to make those kind of moves into those spaces. Is it something you can learn? I've always thought yes, but because it's actually common sense because it's law of probability when you think about it."
While it may be too early to write off Viktor Gyokeres given his proven capabilities at Sporting CP, it seems clear that adjustments need to be made if he is going to thrive within the Premier League. Lineker's insights provide a valuable perspective on the situation, and it will be interesting to see how Gyokeres responds in his future games.
