Viktor Gyokeres received some valuable words of advice from Thierry Henry during a must-watch segment on CBS following Arsenal's Champions League opener.
The Gunners started their 2025-26 Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao as goals from substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard secured all three points.
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, handed summer signing Viktor Gyokeres his much-anticipated European debut for the club, but the Swede failed to score before being replaced by Trossard.
The 27-year-old did have a great chance to open the scoring.
After beating the offside trap, Gyokeres eventually made his way to the 18-yard box, but a poor touch closed the angle and he failed to make Unai Simon work – something Henry was critical of, as seen below.
Pointing at Gyokeres as he made his way towards the penalty area, Henry said: "The ball has to go here, across the defender. There's no way that those guys should catch you if you take care of the ball properly."
"He's going to have two chances to do it," the former Arsenal striker added. "He won't do it. He doesn't even look at what's happening. He's praying. They are praying. But that first touch is not going to be good."
Fellow CBS pundit Micah Richards interjected and asked: "Is that a confidence thing or a technical thing?"
Henry replied: "Yes, yes. Look, we all know that he's been scoring, but away from home, that has to be a goal. He should have had a 1v1. I'm just saying this is the difference between going 1-0 up and still staying 0-0."
Gyokeres failed to convert the chance. Image credit: CBS Sports
Gyokeres failed to convert the chance. Image credit: CBS Sports
Speaking ahead of Gyokeres' debut for Arsenal, Henry urged fans to be patient as the Sweden international adapts to a new club.
"It’s always unfair because when I talk about a striker, it brings an unnecessary pressure, sometimes, because whenever I say something it goes above and beyond,’ he told Betway.
"What I would say about Gyokeres is that you saw his goal against Athletic Club the other day. That instinct and understanding to anticipate the cross, a great header with soft touch to guide it to the other side of the goal – he is a proper No. 9. That’s the goal of a 9.
"He is not a Firmino type of 9 that’s going to drop into midfield. He wants to be in the box, in between the posts, and he said it himself – please put the ball in the box and serve me.
"You have a guy that’s a killer in the box – numbers don’t lie – and you have a team that create a lot of chances, so it should be the perfect match, but you have to also understand that sometimes it doesn’t click straight away."