Viktor Gyokeres has earned praise from Wayne Rooney for his tactical intelligence during Arsenal’s victory over Fulham, with the former England captain highlighting the striker’s “really clever” movement and positioning throughout the match. According to Football365.com.
Rooney hails Gyokeres’ tactical awareness as Arsenal striker impresses
Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney was particularly impressed with Gyokeres’ unconventional approach to creating space in the penalty area. The former England captain explained how the Swedish striker deliberately marked himself against Fulham defenders to create better scoring opportunities.
Rooney analysed how Gyokeres gets “really tight with the Fulham defender” to make his run smaller, explaining that this tactical approach puts him “in full control of the defender” who becomes “flat footed.” The movement allows for “a one-yard run” that gets the striker “in the middle of the goal for a nice tap in.”
The £55m summer signing from Sporting has reached 21 goals in all competitions during his debut season, with his brace against Fulham contributing to Arsenal’s six-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Rooney praised his “good centre-forward play keeping the Fulham defenders on their toes.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Gyokeres has addressed a long-standing issue for the club, telling Premier League Live that the striker has “solved that problem for us.” Wright highlighted how Arsenal traditionally struggled against teams like Fulham and Wolves rather than top-six opponents.
Wright was also encouraged by the developing partnership between Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka, noting there are “relationships that I really enjoyed today” despite the pair not playing together much due to injuries this season.
