[Arsenal](https://goonernews.com/) fans are used to the usual hogwash espoused by the resident gum flappers in footballing punditry, and at this point in the 2025/26 Premier League season, the Gunners faithful have pretty much heard it all said about their beloved club.
No matter how many games Arsenal manage to win on the trot or the caliber of opposition they dispatch, the moment they do not dominate it, the cries of them being bottlers and frauds are carried through the poisoned airwaves from station to station.
Arsenal just delivered a masterclass in defending a lead in a tie, completely shutting down shop against an overmatched Chelsea with a 1-0 win to advance to the League Cup Final against Manchester City on a 4-2 aggregate over their most relevant London rivals in 2026.
Yet all Arsenal fans heard after the game from the experts on the television were criticisms, including those directed at striker Viktor Gyokeres. The 27 year old Swedish international has become a favorite punching bag of the pundits, who love going after him even when it has no relevance to the game at hand, such as against Chelsea in the second leg of the League Cup semifinals.
Gyokeres has scored four goals in his last three Champions League games and also just scored in his last Premier League appearance. He has been playing his best football lately, yet all Arsenal fans hear are negative things said about their No. 9.
It is becoming tiresome. Gyokeres is not a world class player, but Arsenal fans are not pretending this is the case. He is a vast upgrade at striker on what they had last season, and Arsenal are a visibly better team with him, with Gyokeres performing pretty well recently. And it feels like the criticisms are just there so that pundits can grab headlines and say something negative about Arsenal just for the attention.
Joe Soriano is the editor of _The Trivela Effect_ and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like _The Real Champs_ (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage _NFL Spin Zone_ and _Daily DDT,_ covering the NFL and pro wrestling.