🔗 Share this article Man in the Mask Gyökeres Quiets ‘Invisible’ Taunts to Stamp His Authority at the Gunners In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that each Arsenal fans have been wishing for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his fortune changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in. On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season. Remarkable Shift in Luck Shortly after and to the delight of the local supporters, his face-covering routine inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come. “Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.” Formative Hurdles It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to make it in his vocation. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview. Difficult Phase Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “unnoticeable.” He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the chances have not come to him. Match Highlights This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he bustled about like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez. The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to secure the signing. Unyielding Drive However having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance. A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the opening goal would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.