Mikel Arteta has praised Viktor Gyokeres’ performance and attitude against Newcastle United, insisting that the striker’s display was only lacking a goal.
Arsenal summer signing Viktor Gyokeres has been under plenty of scrutiny in recent weeks, having scored three goals but also blanking on a few occasions.
Yet despite not scoring against Newcastle United on Sunday, Gyokeres put in a good performance, and he was arguably only denied a goal by a contentious VAR penalty overturn.
The 27-year-old seemed to be up for the physical battle, and he was involved in a few nice moves that could have resulted in goals on another day. Mikel Arteta was certainly impressed with what he saw from the Swedish international.
“I loved it. I absolutely loved it how he took it,” Arteta said. “He went on board, not a single moment when he was showing frustration.
“I told him that you’re going to get some decisions, some others not, stand up, you’re going to have two or three players around you in many moments, the ball is in the air, and a lot is going to happen.
“But I loved his reaction, I loved the way he handled the situation emotionally, and also because he was involved in a lot of dangerous moments that he created. He was very much involved in them.
“It’s a pity that he didn’t score a goal at the end, because in my opinion, he fully deserved it.”
Arteta went on to praise Gyokeres’ attitude, adding that the striker is still a long way off reaching his potential in this Arsenal team.
“He’s a really confident boy,” Arteta added. “His work ethic is incredible. The demands that he puts on himself every single day. It’s a joy to work with him.
“He gives so much to the team, and the ceiling is very, very far, [in terms of] what he can still give to the team, so I’m very happy with him.”
Wednesday night’s match against Olympiacos could gives Gyokeres another opportunity to really get going on the goalscoring front, and it would certainly put Arsenal in a good position after two matchdays if he can contribute to another win.