Arteta Backs Gyökeres After Another Quiet Display

• Arsenal’s £55m striker failed to register a shot in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
• Jamie Carragher questioned whether Gyökeres can be considered “elite” after a string of low-impact games.
• Gabriel Martinelli again impressed from the bench, scoring the late equaliser.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has leapt to the defence of Viktor Gyökeres after the forward endured another frustrating outing against a top-six rival.

The Swedish striker, signed for £55 million in the summer, managed just 22 touches in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City and did not register a single shot on target. It continued a run of quiet showings in Arsenal’s biggest fixtures, following the 1-0 win at Manchester United and the narrow defeat at Liverpool.

Arteta argued that Gyökeres was unlucky not to convert from Leandro Trossard’s cross just past the hour mark and stressed the need for the team to provide him with better service. “Well, there were a lot of situations that the chances were there and then especially the final pass was missing,” Arteta said. “There were a lot of very good balls in the box, especially I remember three of them that he was very, very close to doing it against City. To have very big open chances is extremely difficult, but he’s certainly trying his best and trying to do that, and we have to provide more for him, that’s it.”

Jamie Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports before the game, questioned whether Gyökeres belongs in the top bracket of strikers. “There’s a lot of talk of, is he elite?” he said. “In the biggest games, he has looked a little bit short. I don’t believe if Arsenal are to win the league, it will be because of Gyökeres. If they do it, it will be [because of] the two centre-backs.”

Carragher softened his stance afterwards, pointing the finger at Arsenal’s lack of creativity rather than Gyökeres himself. “He hasn’t had a kick today and he might get criticism again on the back of the game today, but I don’t think in those three games he’s had a chance,” he explained. “They haven’t created a chance for him. So I go back to when people keep saying ‘Arsenal’s problem is finishing.’ But it’s not, it’s creating. They don’t create enough … they haven’t created one chance for him.”

Gyökeres also failed to find the net during the midweek win at Athletic Bilbao, where Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to score. The Brazilian once again proved decisive against City, producing a superb lob in stoppage time to cancel out Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener.

Arteta praised Martinelli’s contribution and attitude after another impactful cameo. “Gabi’s in a really good moment again after the game he had in Bilbao,” he said. “In that period of time he probably deserved more but his energy again, his attitude was really good and that’s why he made the impact that he made again for the team. We want consistency on that. On every player that is not starting the game to be able to do that because you see how long the match is and the level that it requires to beat them. I’m very happy with him.”

Looking ahead, Martinelli may be rewarded with a start in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Port Vale. Noni Madueke, however, is a doubt after being withdrawn at half-time against City. “I think he had an issue very early in the match and he wasn’t well enough to continue,” Arteta confirmed.