Laura Kirk-Francis
Fan writer
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Gyokeres in action for ArsenalGetty Images
At the start of every new season, we as fans are busy scrambling to draw conclusions from the limited data available to us. Did we sign the right players? Do we look like we'll challenge for the title this year? What, if anything, are we doing differently this season?
With the clock ticking agonisingly slowly towards 97 minutes at Old Trafford on Sunday evening, many of those questions remained unanswered.
Much of the attention was understandably on Viktor Gyokeres. The statistics from his full debut represent a brutal baptism to life in the Premier League. Before being substituted on the hour mark, the Swede failed to register a single shot on target, with only three of his touches coming in Manchester United's penalty area.
But looking beyond the numbers, the vision for Gyokeres is clear. A widely shared video of him bullying Manchester United's Matthijs de Ligt off the ball shows him successfully using his physicality. But at times, Arsenal looked like they were unfamiliar with how to play with a centre-forward at all, with Gyokeres' runs being missed entirely. For opposition fans, this is easy fodder with which to label the former Coventry City player a flop with only one game played. For Arsenal fans, the potential is there.
It's also worth remembering that even the greatest of Arsenal legends got off to slow starts at the club. Dennis Bergkamp took eight games to score his first goal, with Arsenal's all-time top goalscorer Thierry Henry scoring his first on his ninth appearance. In even more recent times, Kai Havertz faced immense scrutiny before his first goal on his 10th appearance for the club.
The conclusions drawn from an ugly 1-0 win at Old Trafford can't be reduced to Gyokeres' failings. Moreover, knowing what we do about Gyokeres' passion and ambition to succeed in this league, this challenging start could serve as even more motivation for the games ahead.
Find more from Laura Kirk-Francis at theLatte Firm podcast