Lineker criticises Gyokeres at Arsenal: "Strikers have to take risks" | OneFootball

Gary Lineker, former English player, raised questions about Viktor Gyokeres' performance at Arsenal, highlighting the difficulties the forward has faced in finding the back of the net. In an appearance on the podcast “The Rest is Football”, Lineker showed little optimism about the former Sporting player's ability to increase his goal tally.

Positioning Difficulties

Lineker noted that, like most forwards, Gyokeres tends to wait for the ball's trajectory and the moment of the cross to move and attack the space. He contrasted this approach with the ideal behavior of a striker, who, according to the former forward, should anticipate the play and take a risk towards the area where the ball is most likely to arrive.

The Example of Calvert-Lewin

To illustrate his point, Gary Lineker cited Dominic Calvert-Lewin's goal for Leeds against Sunderland as a perfect example of intelligent movement. “He didn't wait to see where the ball was going. He went straight, then ran to the near post, waited for the ball to go there, and it did,” Lineker explained, contrasting with what he has seen in Gyokeres.

Top-Level Movements

The former player emphasized that players with high scoring power, like Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Robert Lewandowski, frequently execute this type of movement. Lineker believes that this skill, based on common sense and probability, can be learned, but he does not see Gyokeres demonstrating this characteristic in his recent performances.

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