MIKEL MERINO MOTIVATES GYöKERES TO BOUNCE BACK AND END SCORING STRUGGLES
Arsenal's Mikel Merino backs Viktor Gyokeres to end his goal drought, praising the striker's off-ball work and confidence. Despite 9 games without a goal, Merino insists the goals will come for the Swede.
Gyokeres has now gone nine games without scoring for his club or nation after drawing nothing in last Saturday's 1-0 victory against Fulham.
Merino, however, has commended the Swede's off-ball efforts and feels he has been instrumental in Arsenal's ascent to the Premier League's top spot.
The Spaniard believes Gyokeres' efforts will be rewarded and that the goals will begin to come naturally.
"He has the physicality, the tools, and the players around him to help him score goals, so it is just a matter of time until he does."
He seems quite self-assured to me. He seems like a highly self-assured guy to me. He does the correct things every day in training, as you can see.
"As long as he continues to work and give us his best performances...he seems to be aware of his abilities.
"I am not sure how many goals he scored last season, but it is something you do not forget every day."
"We all trust him, and he will be there." He is a top-tier player, as we all know, and I believe that is all.
"We try our best to love and support Viktor, but that is just our team's default mindset.
Everyone wants that affection, to feel at ease, to be surrounded by kind people, and to have a reliable team.
Viktor is merely one illustration of that, but I believe that everyone wants him to continue doing what he is doing.
"Obviously, it is even better for him and everyone else if he scores goals. However, as I already stated, the team's victory is what matters most. He and everyone else will be content as long as the team is winning.
Merino has advised fans not to ignore Gyokeres' contributions to the team, even though he may not have been finding the net.
He stated, "We cannot be concentrating just on the numbers."
"I am aware that statistics are quite important in modern sport. You can see how much he offers us, though, if you watch the games.
He is providing us with a plethora of options both on and off the ball. You must view the data to realise the incredible amount of labour he puts in throughout each game. He assists the squad both on and off the ball.
It might be unfair to strikers at times because it appears like they are not doing anything if they do not score.
However, he is giving us a lot, and I have no doubt that goals will materialise. He undoubtedly wants to score as many goals as the others, but helping the team win comes first.
"As we are a team and a collective, I am very certain that he is also pleased that he is giving his teammates the finest performances both on and off the ball."
GABRIEL JESUS RANKS BUKAYO SAKA ALONGSIDE VINICIUS JUNIOR AND RODRYGO
Gabriel Jesus compares Bukayo Saka to Vinicius Junior as Arsenal sit nine points clear in the Premier League.
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Gabriel Jesus isn’t shy about putting Bukayo Saka right up there with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, and Rodrygo. When Rio Ferdinand asked him where Saka ranks among the best wide players in football right now, the Brazilian striker didn’t hesitate.
“They’re all at the same level,” Jesus said. He knows Saka as well as anyone, having played alongside him for four years at Arsenal. “He’s at the same table. Sure, they each play their own way, and they’ve had their ups and downs, but all of them step up in big moments. Saka’s earned his place in that group. He still needs to win a few big trophies, but those will come.”
For Jesus, it’s not just Saka’s talent that stands out; it’s his attitude. Despite all the pressure and the spotlight at Arsenal, Saka’s kept his feet on the ground. “Honestly, I’m a huge fan of his personality. He’s strong but so humble. These days, you don’t find many players who rise through the academy, become huge for the club, and still stay the same,” Jesus said.
With Arsenal heading into the season’s final stretch, Jesus sounds more optimistic than ever. He sees how the team’s grown under Mikel Arteta, with players like Saka leading the way, and he truly believes this is the squad to finally win the Premier League again. “I’m really confident. We’re in a great spot, and we have such a strong squad,” he said. “I believe 100% we’re doing something special this season.”
Saka’s influence has been massive. His form has kept Arsenal on top of the Premier League table, holding a nine-point lead over Manchester City even though City have a game in hand. Jesus, who arrived from City in 2022 with four league titles under his belt, thinks this team’s ready. They’ve fallen short before, but he’s convinced they can finish the job this time.
HOW EBERECHI EZE’S MONTH-LONG INJURY BLOW RESHAPES ARSENAL’S TREBLE PURSUIT
Arsenal playmaker Eberechi Eze is out for six weeks with a calf injury, missing the Champions League and FA Cup.
Arsenal’s hopes for a historic treble took a real hit with the news about Eberechi Eze. He’s out for at least a month, maybe longer, after picking up a serious calf injury at a pivotal point in the season. Honestly, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Mikel Arteta now has to face some tough fixtures without one of his key creative forces.
The BBC reports Eze will miss four to six weeks after getting injured in the Champions League win against Bayer Leverkusen. He already sat out Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City and pulled out of international duty. Arteta is still waiting for a full assessment from the medical team, but either way, the timing stings. Arsenal is chasing silverware in the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup, and losing Eze now is just brutal. On the bright side, captain Martin Odegaard is nearing his return from a knee injury, which should take some pressure off in midfield.
Eze has been a huge part of Arsenal’s attack this season. Before his injury, he played in 43 matches – two for Crystal Palace before his late-August move and the rest for Arsenal. He’s racked up nine goals and six assists for the Gunners, cementing himself as a key figure up front. In the Premier League, he’s appeared 26 times and contributed six goals and two assists. His Champions League stats are solid, too: one goal and two assists in nine games.
With Eze out, England manager Thomas Tuchel called up Harvey Barnes from Newcastle United. Barnes is in red-hot form, with 14 goals across all competitions, and this move finally ends his nearly six-year absence from international play and shuts down any talk he might switch to Scotland.
Looking ahead, Arteta has a rough road without his star playmaker. Arsenal sits at the top with 70 points, nine clear of Manchester City (though City still have a game in hand). The team returns after the international break with an FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton on April 4. Three days later, they head to Sporting CP for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final. Then, there’s a massive Premier League clash with Pep Guardiola’s squad on April 19. It’s a brutal stretch; Arsenal’s depth is about to be tested like never before.
