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Viktor Gyökeres has had a poor start to the season for Arsenal and that has led to fans questioning his ability to be a deadly striker for a top club, but his recent form for Sweden has seen him silence those doubters.
The forward has failed to score in his five appearances for the Gunners so far this campaign with each display being pretty uneventful in front of goal. With Kai Havertz also enjoying a great run of performances, there has been little room for the Swede to claim the starting spot up front.
However, the German's recent injury on international duty has provided Gyökeres a potential route back into Mikel Arteta's lineup and there are three ways Arsenal could get the best out of him once the international break is over.
Three ways Arsenal could get the best out of Viktor Gyökeres
1. Play to his strengths
One major factor behind Gyökeres failing to produce consistent form last season lied with Arteta's tactics not playing to his strengths. With Arsenal typically opting to play slowly, he struggled to get involved with top output.
However, when the Gunners did take the Swede's abilities into consideration, he flourished with demanding runs allowed by long balls into the channels and the opportunity to charge at defenders while in possession.
If Arsenal want the best out of Gyökeres, they have to start playing to what he does best. Despite currently being at risk of another ankle injury, Martin Ødegaard is in brilliant form and would be an outstanding creator for the striker.
2. Give him more time on the pitch
In his five appearances this season, Gyökeres has played only 207 of a possible 450 minutes with just two of those being starts, one of which saw him complete the full 90.
He was hooked after 73 minutes against Napoli while his two Premier League appearances and his cameo in the Community Shield all saw him come off the bench for the game's closing stages.
One thing a player in poor form needs is more confidence and the only way that can be achieved is by playing more often. Even with Havertz holding down the starting striker role, his Swedish counterpart could be given more chances either from the off or off the bench.
Of the 21 goals he scored last season, 14 came in the second half of matches which shows the longer he is on the pitch, the more likely he is to score. It obviously has to be taken into consideration that circumstances are different for each match, but Arteta should at least consider giving Gyökeres some more minutes to try get the best out of him.
3. Explore a system change
Perhaps the most extreme option, but a plausible one is Arteta exploring a system change in order to get Gyökeres playing his best football.
The Spaniard typically only deploys one striker and has rarely opted to field two at any point of his spell as Arsenal manager, but he may want to consider it now.
Gyökeres seems to thrive for Sweden when playing alongside another striker, typically Alexander Isak, and the same could happen if the Gunners play him and Havertz together.
This potential change does of course rely on the German not being out with a long-term injury, but if he isn't, it could work. Or... Arteta could play a certain makeshift striker with the Swede instead. A Gyökeres and Merino partnership sounds pretty chaotic. Will that win a league? Who knows?!
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