Gary Neville was disappointed by Victor Gokeres’ “really poor” performance against Liverpool, accusing the Arsenal striker of not contributing enough in the goalless draw.
Joekeles’ frustrating start to life at Arsenal continued at the Emirates Stadium, as he failed to get a shot on target against Arne Slott’s side and went 10 games without an open play goal.
The Sweden international scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for his former club Sporting, but has scored just seven goals in 24 games for Arsenal since joining for £55 million in July.
Gokeres was a peripheral figure on Thursday night, touching the ball just eight times before being sent off in the 64th minute to be replaced by Gabriel Jesus. Neville wasn’t surprised to see his numbers go up.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool
“That’s not surprising,” he said in joint commentary.
“He was helpless. That’s kindness. It’s a really poor night for him, he didn’t offer anything.
“You know, he shouldn’t have been serving and he should have come into the match and done more. He should have done more.”
Gökeres’ total of eight touches was his lowest in any game he’s started this season, and Neville had doubts about his movement after Arsenal failed to capitalize on consecutive crosses in the first half.
Victor Gokeres only had 8 touches against Liverpool
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast after the match, he said: “I wanted to be more of a battering ram.
“We’ve gotten used to center forwards sometimes not being too involved in the game and not contributing as much throughout the play.
“But what they have to do is be in the right position in the box. They have to run past the goalkeeper and past the near post.”
“They have to make sure that when the ball comes at them, they charge and slide inside the six-yard box. And he didn’t do that part. That’s where I’m disappointed in him.”
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“If you’re not doing that, then you have to do the other thing, which is the pressing, the harassment and the ugly part of keeping the ball.
“But I don’t think he really contributed to tonight’s game as a centre-forward for Arsenal.”
Gokeres wasn’t the only Arsenal forward to struggle in the game, as Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to break down a visiting side lacking an edge without Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak.
“Arsenal had seven players on that pitch tonight and they just couldn’t solve the Liverpool defense, so that’s a credit to the Liverpool defense,” Neville said.
Victor Goqueres was introduced in the 64th minute to replace Gabriel Jesus.
“But I was hoping at some point in the game that one of them – (Leandro) Trossard, Gyokeres, (Bukayo) Saka, (Martin) Odegaard, (Ebelesi) Eze, (Noni) Madueke, (Gabriel) Martinelli – would create that little magic.
“They had a lot more options up front than Liverpool, but in the second half Liverpool controlled the game brilliantly on the ball and to be fair the chances Arsenal had weren’t really that great.
“It was a challenging night for Arsenal. My feeling was that they were eight points up and were going to grab this title by the scruff of their necks. But they are still in a great position, they just haven’t been able to put the performance together perfectly.”
Is Gokeres’ patience reaching its limits?
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright analyzed this at Emirates Stadium:
Although the attacking players did not particularly shine in this match, Gokeres’ continued struggles both as a goalscorer and in his overall play remain a cause for concern for Arsenal.
This is the fourth time he has failed to get a shot in a Premier League game in which he has started. That came after he only called up one game, against Bournemouth. His average of 2.15 shots per 90 minutes puts him far behind Everton’s Beto, Leeds’ Lucas Nmeka and West Ham’s Callum Wilson, and is far from the top end of the table.
Victor Goqueres struggled against Liverpool on Thursday night.
A growing number of fans are losing patience, while others are blaming the service for the problem. His role in Declan Rice’s first goal against Bournemouth, occupying a large number of defenders, was used as an example of what he brought to the team besides goals.
But the lateness to the box Neville mentioned has become a familiar sight. Part of a striker’s role is to sniff out opportunities, but without the space and physical advantage he enjoyed against a weaker Portuguese side, Gokeres is seen as lacking in ability.
Arteta backed him to get a good result against Liverpool. But defending his record is becoming increasingly difficult. With Kai Havertz inching closer to fitness, it feels inevitable that the player signed to spearhead Arsenal’s title challenge will lose his spot.
