Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman says he feels sorry for Arsenal duo Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, arguing the pair take the blame for a cautious style that is not of their making.
The TNT Sports pundit was speaking after the North London club’s 2-1 Champions League win over Slavia Prague on Wednesday (November 4).
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Gyokeres set up Noni Madueke’s ninth-minute opener at the Fortuna Arena, holding off his marker and hooking the ball into space, then scored the second himself in the 38th minute after exchanging passes with Mikel Merino.
Wiktor Nowak’s 90th-minute goal made for a nervous finish, but Arsenal held on to stay unbeaten in the league phase. That took the Gunners to 10 points from four games, and their unbeaten away run in Europe to a club-record 10 matches.
Speaking after the final whistle, he said (via Metro):
“I do feel sorry for Arsenal forwards sometimes because they’re not an entertaining team, they are not like a Barcelona. They defend very deep, they defend as a whole and it’s a long way to get to the other end of the pitch to score goals.”
He added:
“They’re never going to be this entertaining, lovely, free-flowing side scoring goal after goal after goal, and then Gyokeres and Havertz sometimes get the blame because of that. It’s normally the midfielders and the defenders that we talk about.”
Once the game stretched, he said Gyokeres “looked as if he was just left alone a lot” in the second half.
Asked about minutes for Gyokeres, he said Arteta always turns to Havertz in Arsenal’s biggest games:
“Gyokeres played against Slavia Prague and he did exactly what he needed to do. He had an impact on the game, he had a huge impact on the game and we’ll wait and see for Saturday.”
Arsenal’s forward goals so far this season, and the games ahead
Havertz’s winner at Anfield on November 1 was his first goal in more than nine hours of football, after Sky Sports had noted that Arsenal’s defenders were outscoring the forwards in all competitions. Gyokeres, whose only other goal this season came in the Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood, has two goals and three assists in his last five appearances.
Arteta must choose between the pair this weekend, at the start of a run that also includes Newcastle away on November 21, Borussia Dortmund at home in Europe and Manchester City at the Emirates. Hull, back in the Premier League this season, have not won since the end of August.
The Gunners will take on Hull City at home on Saturday (November 7), with kick-off at 3 pm GMT.
Edited by Vignesh Raja
