3 reasons why Arsenal finally understand Viktor Gyökeres

It's taken what's felt like an eternity, but Arsenal finally understand Viktor Gyökeres, the striker who cost the club around a cool £64 million last summer. Gyökeres has been criticized, ridiculed and lambasted almost every week since, but he's quietly putting up solid numbers for a debut season in the notoriously difficult to adapt to English Premier League.

The pace of Gyökeres' numbers looks set to increase, at least based on how he tore through Tottenham Hotspur in the recent north London derby triumph. Gyökeres bagged a brace during the 4-1 away win, but his overall performance revealed three reasons the Gunners have finally figured out how to play to their pricey frontman.

A three-pronged approach based on positioning, early deliveries and supporting the man up top has finally cracked the Gyökeres code.

Early deliveries worked a charm

One thing Arsenal had struggled to do for most of this season was take advantage of Gyökeres' instincts as a natural goal-hanger. He's often exactly where you'd want your striker to be to apply the final touch to an attacking move, but all too rarely has Gyökeres been given the right delivery soon enough to profit from his intelligent appreciation of space.

Fortunately, that changed for the better against Spurs, as early as the fourth minute. Smart work between Bukayo Saka, back where he belongs on the right wing, and Jurrien Timber, the best full-back in this league and beyond, ended with the Dutchman lifting a deft cross to the back post where Gyökeres was lurking.

His movement was telling, with the Sweden international initially idling between two defenders. Gyökeres then took a small dart forward, but this was merely a feint, before peeling back to be unmarked for a free header Spurs were lucky to scramble away.

This varied, stop-start action was the tell-tale sign of a true goalscorer who knows how to create space in tight areas. Arsenal have to play to this strength more often with quick combinations and even quicker deliveries into the box.

The same speed of play worked for Gyökeres in a different area of the pitch. This time, Declan Rice found Piero Hincapié, doing his best inverted full-back impression, and the Ecuadorian rolled the ball into Gyökeres in the inside left channel.

A quick cut inside allowed Gyökeres to fire an effort across goal that was only marginally off target. While his movement started outside the box, the same principle worked for Arsenal. Namely, two quick passes to get the ball to the primary goal-getter in the team.

Thats how Mikel Arteta's side keeps Gyökeres more involved, and the numbers prove it can work again. Numbers like these from Sam Dean of The Daily Telegraph:

"Before yesterday's trip to Spurs, Viktor Gyokeres averaged 24 touches and seven successful passes per game in the Premier League. Against Spurs, he had 42 touches and completed 18 passes. Enormous improvements in his all-round game."

Sam Dean

Getting the ball to Gyökeres in a hurry prevents defenders from crowding him out, a common problem this season. He needs to be found in space, particularly when the 27-year-old is in his favorite area of the pitch.

Gyökeres thriving leaning left

Gyökeres' durability and physicality often lead to him to being mistakenly labelled a target man, but there's more subtlety to his game. While he can play with his back to goal and link well with others, the former Sporting Lisbon man is at his best whenever he occupies the inside-left channel.

Arsenal's latest No. 14 wanders to play on a right-back in a way that would make Gunners great Thierry Henry proud. Gyökeres is no Henry, but he generally produces something notewothy cutting in from the left.

Think back to his first league goal against Leeds United in August. Or Gyökeres' second against Spurs. When he was found by Martin Odegaard with a smart pass between right wing-back Archie Gray and the central defender, in other words, where beast-mode Gyökeres lives.

The result was emphatic.

Hanging around that inside left channel and waiting for a sudden pass in behind is Gyökeres' go-to move. Much like a dart across the near post became the favorite route to goal of another under-appreciated Arsenal striker, Olivier Giroud.

Arteta needs players like Odegaard and Gyökeres' fellow two-goal derby hero Eberechi Eze to keep those passes going through the inside left. The manager also needs his chosen No. 10 to give his striker the kind of close-quarters support he received at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Arsenal need a closer strike partner for Gyökeres

Eze got the nod against Spurs, after being bafflingly overlooked in previous matches, and his presence gave Gyökeres what he needed most. A strike partner of sorts.

Since he's less a midfield playmaker than Odegaard, but more a forward, Eze played closer to the player leading the forward line. He gave Tottenham defenders another point of focus and their split attention created the extra space Gyökeres had seldom seen this season.

The importance of space for the player up top was spelled out by Sam Blitz of Sky Sports:

"Gyokeres attracts other defenders like no other Premier League player. Tracking data from this season shows the Arsenal striker is afforded the least amount of space when he's available to be given the ball. And that means he can't spin away from defenders, so is forced to hold the ball up. Gyokeres has held the ball up more times than any other Premier League player this season. Only two Premier League players have retained the ball more times"

Sam Blitz

Gyökeres benefitted most from having a player next to him to score his first goal and give the Gunners a lead they would never relinquish. When Eze took a defender away and gave Gyökeres room to curl in a fine finish from the edge of the box.

Pushing a player up alongside Gyökeres will be highly effective, whether it's Eze, Odegaard or Saka. Playing closer to Gyökeres is the final instalment of the three-part series about how to keep the striker more involved during the title run-in.

He won't benefit from bullying an opponent as bereft of structure and confidence as Spurs every week, but quick deliveries, played mostly into the inside-left channel, and a nearby attacker to draw defenders away is the formula for Gyökeres finally justifying his price tag.