Mikel Arteta praised forward Viktor Gyokeres for his performance, highlighting his pressing, hold-up play and finishing after the striker scored twice in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
After a seven-game goal drought, the Swedish forward finally found the breakthrough he deserved, and doubled his tally three minutes later, with his teammates rallying around him in celebration.
“I think he deserved it because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks, there was no debate about that,” Arteta explained.
“It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely. Again, it was one of those two goals, and as you said, a big smile on his face.
“I look at his teammates as well, in the picture and the video, they are all so happy for him because he fully deserved it,” he added.
The 27-year-old has faced criticism from ex-players, pundits and some supporters over his recent goal drought, but he’s shown few signs of being affected, working relentlessly to help his team maintain their perfect Champions League record so far.
It’s something that Arteta has recognised, with the forward’s work up front helping to elevate the team as a whole.
“He makes us a much better team. I think we've become much more unpredictable. He's so physical, open, his face is for everybody. The way he presses the ball, holds the ball, that's phenomenal.
“And then the icing on the cake and the biggest thing that we're going to debate about him is goals. He's scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”
Reflecting on a performance that saw Arsenal overcome an Atletico side renowned for their organisation and discipline, Arteta said: “Well, obviously, I'm extremely happy and proud about the performance and the results against a really good side.
“I was very impressed when I analysed them and what I've seen today about them as well. I knew about the difficulty of it. It required a lot of aggression and a lot of patience as well.
“The way they managed the context of the game and the way they can manipulate their behaviour was really impressive. With 0-0 at half-time, even though we generated two, three big chances, we had to stay patient, but at the same time, increase a little bit in certain areas to damage them more.”