From memes to momentum: Could Gyokeres’ best Arsenal display hint at a turning point | OneFootball

After only an hour of football for Arsenal at Manchester United in August, the social media hyenas were out in force after an underwhelming bow.

The usual memes appeared. An image of Gyokeres wearing Timberlands circulated widely, a popular put-down for footballers deemed unaesthetic or clunky. Romelu Lukaku memorably faced similar sneers,later branding his reception in England a "false narrative" and a misunderstanding of his playing style.

For Gyokeres, his sin was clear. He'd signed forArsenal, billed as the missing piece in their Premier League jigsaw. For those not of a North London persuasion, who have revelled in Arsenal's two-decade drought and agonising near misses, he became the perfect target.

Gyokeres joinedArsenal for a fee of £54.8m in the summer, having scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting Lisbon over the previous two campaigns.

His rise had stoked intrigue.

Having learned his trade in England's second-tier before explosive output in Portugal, he was making the move to one of Europe's top-five leagues at the age of 27.

One of football's great late bloomers? Or evidence of the growing gap between thePremier League and European equivalents? Each below-par performance has seen the latter argument shouted loudest.

Gyokeres has been unable to replicate his prolificacy from Portugal, netting just five times in thePremier League and three more across all competitions. The latest, however, offers encouragement. At Chelsea in midweek, Gyokeres produced the best performance of his Arsenal career to date. He was in the right place at the right time to tap in Arsenal's second at Stamford Bridge, before turning provider with good hold-up play to assist Martin Zubimendi.

Both goals demonstrated the centre-forward presenceArsenal have lacked in recent campaigns. Mikel Arteta, repeatedly, has said the best is still to come.

“He is a very demanding person. He knows the level we want, and he wants to fulfil the level we expect of him. He has been very consistent. He had a great game against Chelsea and scored to help us win the game," he said on Friday.

"For the rest of his career, what he's done in the last few years, he has set the standard, and it's a standard we expect him to maintain. It's part of the expectations not only for Viktor but for every number nine in the league. We expect them to be really good and consistent. That's what he has to try to do."

The data suggests Gyokeres has been forced to adapt his game, just asArsenal have adjusted to a recognised forward. His best at Sporting came with surging runs into the channels and a willingness to drive at defenders. Last season, he recorded 4.27 progressive carries and 1.93 successful take-ons per 90 in the Primeira Liga. In England, those numbers are down to 0.84 carries and 0.34 take-ons, respectively.

There have been flashes. His firstArsenal goal, against Leeds, was Gyokeres at his best, driving infield before firing home. Arsenal's patient approach has perhaps nullified his threat on occasion. At Chelsea in midweek, Gyokeres was visibly unhappy with Bukayo Saka's decision to delay a cross, just moments before his goal. He wants the ball early - and he wants it regularly.

Few will have Gyokeres down as one of the signings of the season, but as we reach mid-January, he's part of a team still competing on four fronts.

The expectation - and requirement - is that he continues to improve. His showing at Chelsea was positive, but it's games like this weekend's clash with a deep-lying Nottingham Forest defence that will be a true test of his all-round game. It's time for the summer signing to go up a gear.