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Viktor Gyokeres has struggled to find his feet in the Premier League as Arsenal continue to push for their first Premier League title in the Mikel Arteta era
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes questions will be asked of Arsenal’s No.9 Viktor Gyokeres if results begin to slide, despite Mikel Arteta’s side still leading the Premier League.
The Gunners have seen a six-point cushion at the top cut to just two following a stuttering run of league form. Since drawing 2-2 with Sunderland, Arsenal have shared the points with Chelsea and suffered a painful defeat to Aston Villa earlier this month.
Arteta’s defence has earned plaudits as one of the strongest in Europe, but the Arsenal boss may now be demanding more cutting edge at the top end of the pitch from Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede arrived in north London over the summer in a deal worth up to £64m, but has scored just four goals in 14 Premier League outings, with his most recent strike coming in the 2-0 win over Burnley.
Mikel Merino filled in for Gyokeres during his recent injury lay-off and delivered with two goals and two assists. Gabriel Jesus has also returned to fitness, while Kai Havertz is nearing a comeback. With options increasing, Henry has spoken about how vital the No.9 role could become for Arsenal this season.
He told Betway: "Well, he’s [Merino] been an option. When you play with or without a No. 9, you have to put the ball in the back of the net. Whether you’re a normal No. 9 or not, I don’t know any more – the bottom line is how you play and how you perform.
"We played without a recognised No. 9 against some big teams and we won games. But when things are not going well, or the way people think they should, you start to look at things like injuries, or the No. 9 not scoring.
"When things are not going well, the things you aren’t doing are going to be raised, even though they were also true when you were winning.
"Injuries, the busy calendar – let’s not talk. Everybody has their own problems. Let’s see who’s going to be there at the end. I won’t change my tune from the beginning of the season – we must win the league. It has to be this year for me. I believe the team can do it, and I just hope that we can cross that line."
Arsenal’s dominance hasn’t been limited to domestic competition, with the club also sitting top of the Champions League table as the only side to win all six of their opening matches.
Arteta also has cup commitments to juggle, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace scheduled for next week. While spreading focus across competitions can be beneficial, the Spaniard will be keen to ensure his side remain sharp when the pressure rises.
Discussing whether Arsenal are better suited to a Premier League or Champions League push, Henry added: "It’s [Champions League] just a difficult competition to win, regardless of what you have in your team.
"I don’t know about which is more suitable for Arsenal, and if you think about the noise that was happening last year with Liverpool when they were top of the league, top of the Champions League, they were going to win the treble. Next thing you know, they didn’t. So let’s stay calm.
"I think the mentality of thinking that you can win everything is a different thing from winning it. You need to have the mentality to think that you can win everything, but don’t go too far with it. I don’t know what’s going to happen, so let’s let the players tell us."
Before the turn of the year, Arsenal face a demanding run of four matches in 10 days, beginning with a trip to Everton on Saturday. That is followed by a home Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace, before back-to-back Premier League fixtures at the Emirates against Brighton and Aston Villa.
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