Arsenal fans told they should be ‘concerned’ about new signing after Liverpool defeat
Former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew says Arsenal supporters should be ‘concerned’ about Viktor Gyokeres after the striker’s ‘quiet’ performance in the side’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Sunday’s heavyweight contest looked to be heading for a goalless draw, but Dominik Szoboszlai had other ideas and fired home a stunning 83rd-minute free-kick to seal all three points for Liverpool.
The result saw Arne Slot’s champions open up a two-point lead over second-placed Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table ahead of the international break.
With Bukayo Saka ruled out through injury, Mikel Arteta opted to name Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli either side of Gyokeres in attack, with Eberechi Eze starting amongst the substitutes at Anfield.
Just a week earlier, Gyokeres had managed to silence his doubters with a brace to get off the mark for Arsenal in their 5-0 thumping of newly promoted Leeds.
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But Gyokeres – who could cost Arsenal as much as £64million – struggled to make a meaningful impact against the champions, though was perhaps let down by a lack of quality service from his new team-mates on Merseyside.
Pardew had little sympathy for Gyokeres, though, and felt the Swede’s apparent lack of pace and incisiveness should be a worry for the visitors.
‘Can I tell you what I’d be concerned about if I was an Arsenal fan? Gyokeres, so far,’ Pardew said on talkSPORT shortly after Liverpool’s win.
‘I’m looking at him and thinking, “I want a bit more from you!”
‘Sporting is different because it’s a different kind of culture and Sporting was a great team that he was in and he was always going to get goals there.
‘But when he was at Coventry, he looked looked quick down the side of the pitch, proper quick.
‘Now, in the Premier League, he didn’t look quick today did he? There was times when he had the march and didn’t get past the centre-backs.
‘It’s a concern whether this kid can step up and be this number nine that Arsenal have been waiting on for three years.
‘There is a lot of pressure on him and I really hope he does crack it, but I thought today he was quiet.’
Analysing the match on Match of the Day, Wayne Rooney suggested Gyokeres may come into his own once he is able to link up with fellow new boy Eze .
‘Arsenal have got players to go and hurt teams,’ the ex-Manchester United and England captain said on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme.
‘They’ve brought in Eze to be a part of that, they’ve got some good flair players, so I’d like to see more attacking in open play to score and create goals from different opportunities rather than set pieces.
‘From the first few games, it’s very similar to what we’ve seen last season. They need to find a way to play with Gyokeres in the team.
‘Eze will come into that. They’ve got some new players but it’s the same Arsenal.
‘To be fair, They haven’t been too far away in the last two or three seasons so they’re doing something right but they need that added spice.
‘When you look at Liverpool, with Mohamed Salah and his individual brilliance, and the other players who’ve created and scored a lot of goals, I think Arsenal need that alongside what they’re doing already.’
Rooney reserved special praise for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate , applauding the duo for successfully shutting out Arsenal’s marquee summer signing across the match.
‘Liverpool were fantastic in the individual battles,’ the five-time Premier League winner added.
‘They weren’t afraid to go in on Arsenal, especially on Gyokeres.
‘I thought the back four were excellent in how they did that, especially Konate and Van Dijk.’
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