Masked Man Gyökeres Quiets Jibes to Leave an Impression at the Gunners

Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the point his fortune turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing 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 gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in attack, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having attracted criticism that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the first score would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.