Arsenal fans, we need to talk about Viktor Gyokeres

A month into the new season, Viktor Gyokeres still hasn't hit his groove. It's not entirely his fault; after all, it took Arsenal a few weeks to even start using him. However, with two starts in the space of a week under his belt, he's done nothing to justify being in this Arsenal team.

Against Napoli, he was absent. He took just nine touches, which almost feels too bad to be real. It's real. He took just nine touches.

Against Ipswich, Gyokeres doubled his involvement to a whopping 18 touches. Big deal.

It is not an overstatement to say Arsenal have a Viktor Gyokeres problem. It is not as prominent as it would have been in other seasons because of Arsenal's excellence elsewhere, but it's a problem nevertheless.

On the one hand, you have Kai Havertz, who has started the season immaculately. Arsenal fans can have zero complaints about the way the German has commanded Arsenal's frontline.

On the other hand, you have Gyokeres, who is in a much worse spot. He's hardly been given a shot and when he has, he's flat-out refused to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

It's weird because this isn't the Gyokeres we know. The jury is always out on him, but he's never ghosted a game before. Now, he's ghosted two starts in a row.

Gyokeres is hungry to score. He also proudly represents Arsenal, which only adds to his desire to score goals.

He is also not fatigued. Or at least, as a professional footballer, he shouldn't be. He's hardly played, and Sweden didn't go far in the World Cup. Besides, the World Cup was months ago, anyway.

The real reason why Viktor Gyokeres is stalling

All signs point to this being a confidence issue. It can't be easy for a player who was signed to play centre-forward to see his position taken by a natural midfielder.

But, c'mon, use it as fuel to do better or something.

Gyokeres doesn't get the same grace as Arsenal's younger players because he is 28 years old. He should be in the prime stage of his career, or at least entering it by now.

Arsenal are the champions of the best sporting league in the world. They have little time to wait for players to find their confidence, especially those who should be in a flow state.

There is zero vendetta against Gyokeres. His goals were crucial to Arsenal winning the Premier League last season, and when he's playing at top gear, he's genuinely a pivotal member of the team.

We're just not seeing nearly enough of it right now. If all it takes is a goal to revamp what we know he can provide, then great, but we can't wait weeks on end for that goal to come. Plus, he's going to struggle to get a goal if he can just break double figures for touches in a match.

When will Viktor Gyokeres find his Arsenal form?

The frustration of Arsenal fans is actually a compliment towards Gyokeres. They wouldn't get frustrated if they didn't care or if they didn't consider him capable of playing well.

Gyokeres has a track record of being a flat-track bully, meaning he specialises in scoring goals against 'smaller' teams. With no disrespect to Ipswich, who gave Arsenal a respectable fight in the end, the Tractor Boys fall within the calibre of teams Gyokeres often shines against.

Next up, Arsenal face Brighton in the Premier League before the annoyingly long international break. The Seagulls will represent Arsenal's toughest test of the season so far, particularly after the run of away games. This is probably a game for Kai Havertz to play, but heck, what a game it would be for Gyokeres to produce something from the bench.

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