Viktor Gyokeres has made Arsenal’s intentions clear ahead of next Sunday's Community Shield match.
Viktor Gyokeres had little interest in the suggestion that Arsenal’s Community Shield meeting with Manchester City could be treated as another pre-season friendly.
The Gunners take on Manchester City at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the Premier League champions and FA Cup holders contesting the traditional curtain-raiser to the new domestic season. Kick-off is set for 3pm BST next Sunday.
Asked after Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund whether the Community Shield would effectively be viewed as Arsenal’s final pre-season game, Gyokeres initially responded:
“I don't know what other people think, but of course, we want to win that game for sure. There's no question about that.”
Gyokeres' reaction shows the atmosphere at Arsenal as the new campaign begins. Having finally ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title the previous season, Arteta's team now have the opportunity to win some more prizes before their defence of the title even gets started.
Manchester City, of course, are familiar opponents, beating Arsenal to secure the Carabao Cup in March. Since then, the Gunners have gone on to win the title race, whilst Pep Guardiola also stepped down from the Manchester side.
Gyokeres believes winning the league has had a significant impact on the group.
“Yeah, of course. When you win titles, you get confidence, you get a boost with everything that comes with it. So, yeah, it's only positive things with that.
“You just have to make sure you're on top of that and, yeah, ready for the new season.”
The striker played a key role in that success as Arsenal’s top scorer in the league, with a respectable 14 goals in his first season in North London
Mikel Arteta credits the striker’s relentless work ethic and chemistry-building for his record-breaking form, proving vital as the Gunners chase Premier League and Champions League glory.roundtable.ioArteta Explains Viktor Gyokeres Improvement at Arsenal
Mikel Arteta credits the striker’s relentless work ethic and chemistry-building for his record-breaking form, proving vital as the Gunners chase Premier League and Champions League glory.
Gyokeres found the net again against Dortmund, converting a penalty as the Gunners tried to claw their way back from a tough afternoon at the Emirates. Ethan Nwaneri had earlier pulled one back, but Dortmund held firm to claim a 3-2 win and lift the Emirates Cup.
“I think it's good to take them now in the pre-season and make sure we improve and do things better because, yeah, next week we have to be ready. So, I think yeah, it's good to learn now and be ready for that game.”
The sharp attacks and man-to-man pressing that Dortmund employed caused Arsenal a great deal of difficulty, and Gyokeres was open about his frustration with the way the Gunners defended in each goal they surrendered.
“I think they play a lot man-to-man and yeah do well in the attacking bit where they rotate a lot and do a lot of runs in behind and yeah it was a good test for us and yeah we learned that we we have to do much better defensively especially yeah the third goal in a corner and then yeah the other two goals in the beginning was of course frustrating as well.
“We have to learn from that and then, of course, take the things that we did well with us as well.”
The Gunners still have one final pre-season match to continue fine-tuning before results start ot matter, with Como 1907 visiting the Emirates for a Wednesday night match under the lights.
Nevertheless, Gyokeres is not going to wait until the league begins before activating Arsenal's competitive spirit; with Manchester City on the horizon ahead of the new campaign, he is viewing the Community Shield as more than just a final warm-up.