Viktor Gyokeres endured another difficult night among many other Arsenal players against Liverpool but a change needs to be made for all parties
08:00, 09 Jan 2026
Viktor Gyokeres blanked again for Arsenal against Liverpool
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LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 08: (L-R) William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes and Viktor Gyokeres and Piero Hincapie of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on January 08, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
I cannot help but be concerned, and if I am honest, it is as if we have been treading on eggshells somewhat around the topic of Viktor Gyokeres. I have even tried to look at the Arsenal striker from a different perspective after the Bournemouth display; however, in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool, the patience is running quite thin.
Now, as always, context is important, and it should be pointed out that Gyokeres was far from the only poor performer in the draw with Liverpool. There were several others who simply did not do enough. The difference is that those same players have been far better than we witnessed on Thursday night in the games leading up to the clash with The Reds.
Nor was Gabriel Jesus, who replaced him in the 64th minute; however, he managed to get three more touches (11) than the man he replaced, despite playing less than half the amount of minutes on the field.
Not only that, but Jesus arrived in the half which saw the Gunners being shockingly dominated by the depleted Liverpool. What makes this discussion so difficult is the fact that, naturally, there is a will to see the player succeed.
It seems there are varying levels of patience within the fan base and beyond. Some have already written him off, and cannot wait for Kai Havertz to return, while others think the player needs more time.
There are indeed some that are giving him a significant amount of leniency with suggestions that the service is not arriving and that the players around him need to do more. For myself, this game struck a chord perhaps more than any other.
There was service, there were big moments where the ball was either driven across the box or where there were opportunities to cut the ball back across the box, but it simply didn’t find a player.
I believe Gyokeres has been dealt a terrible hand in his start to life at the club. It was never part of the plan that he would start every single match as the leading centre-forward.
However, with Jesus and Havertz out for so long, with the German having been missing since the opening game of the season, Gyokeres has been thrown into the deep end. Very little pre-season, very little reprieve and all the scrutiny.
That being said, an interesting question was asked to Arteta before the game. It was put to Arteta that the top goalscorer in the league for Arsenal, Gyokeres, with five goals, stands out as being incredibly low for a league leader.
In fact, the lowest top scorer for a Premier League winner totalled 13 goals. We’re past halfway, and Gyokeres has less than half this total. It has me asking questions.
Are Arsenal potentially now limiting themselves by persisting with a player in a very poor run of form? He might come good, but the evidence appears to be that it will not be through being played into form.
Gabriel Jesus is fit, and the FA Cup this weekend presents as an opportunity to start the Brazilian after his last start in the League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace. Arsenal created 3.63 expected goals in this game.
The Gunners have not achieved a higher expected goals value in any other match in any other competition this season. But it is only one game, and we need more of a sample size to know if the correlation is significant with Jesus in the side.
Arteta again defended him after the game with Liverpool. He described the situation as him being in great positions, but the ball not arriving.
“He was in great positions, sometimes the ball didn't arrive,” he said. “As I said there was a situation, normally, where we’re going to the six-yard box almost with the ball at their feet, and normally that's a goal, you pick somebody, and you score a goal, and we didn't do that.
“That's the thing today, we have to improve, apart from the thing we did in the second half, that it wasn't probably at the standards that we are used to.”
Do I agree? I’m finding it very difficult to see that reality right now.
Ultimately, judgment will be held until the end of the season, and it remains too early to come to a conclusion on the player wholly. However, it has reached a point where an opportunity arises this weekend, allowing us to see what changing the number nine does to the team's output.
On the game, and it’s taken a while to get there, I truly thought that Arsenal would come out victorious, and the overall performance has taken me by surprise. Yes, it can be argued that it’s a good point, especially when Liverpool home and away have been ticked off, and the Gunners remain six points ahead.
But, there is no doubt this was a massive opportunity, not just with the title rivals also dropping points, but with who the Reds were missing and yet were still able to dominate the ball for such large parts. This has been such a difficult December, and to come through it with the buffer must be the main focus for the side with some cup games now to take the attention away from the pressure of the top-flight fixtures.
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