‘phenomenal’ Gyökeres Has Made Arsenal A Much Better Team, Says Arteta

Mikel Arteta said Viktor Gyökeres had brought much variety to Arsenal’s attacking play arsenic he paid tribute to nan striker whose 2 goals embellished Atlético Madrid astatine nan Emirates Stadium.

Gyökeres had entered nan crippled pinch only 3 goals for nan nine he joined from Sporting complete nan summertime for £64m; questions complete nan value of his performances. Arteta has ne'er doubted him, believing it was simply a matter of clip earlier his selflessness and persistence translated into goals.

Gyökeres scored Arsenal’s 3rd and 4th arsenic they swatted Atlético aside successful a four-goal salvo that began pinch Gabriel Magalhães’s extremity successful nan 57th minute. Gabriel Martinelli scored nan 2nd aft an fantabulous tally by Myles Lewis-Skelly arsenic Arsenal maintained their 100% grounds aft 3 Champions League games, keeping a 3rd cleanable expanse into nan bargain.

“Viktor deserved it because everything that we were seeing successful position of what he was bringing to nan squad and really overmuch he was helping nan squad successful galore areas, isolated from scoring goals successful nan past fewer weeks … location was nary statement astir that,” Arteta said.

“It was astir keeping that belief successful himself, that affectional authorities that he tin bask and play freely. I look astatine his teammates arsenic good – they are each truthful happy for him.

“We each admit him because he makes america a overmuch amended team. I deliberation we’ve go overmuch much unpredictable. He’s truthful physical, opens nan spaces for everyone. The measurement he presses nan ball, holds nan ball, it’s conscionable phenomenal. And past nan icing connected nan barroom and nan biggest point that we’re going to statement astir him is goals. He’s scored 2 very different ones coming and hopefully he starts to get immoderate momentum and a bully tally of goals.”

Arteta made only 2 changes to nan lineup that had started Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League triumph astatine Fulham, Lewis-Skelly and Martinelli coming in. But he feels that nan title for places is driving Arsenal to caller heights. He had awesome options connected nan bench.

“This is what we request and erstwhile you look astatine nan apical teams successful Europe, that’s what they person and we person to negociate that successful a really cohesive system,” Arteta said.

“Everybody understands that they are going to person different roles passim nan crippled aliases successful different games. But astatine nan extremity nan result is to gain nan correct to triumph games. We are each seeking nan aforesaid thing.”