Much of the pre-match talk was about whether Arsenal should spend big on Julian Alvarez, but Victor Goqueres has given Gunners Chiefs food for thought.
Victor Gokeres celebrates (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta has demanded a “great performance” from Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final. Ultimately, the biggest statement came from Victor Gokeres, but the team will likely have to finish the job to live up to the manager’s expectations.
This was without a doubt Gokeres’ best performance in an Arsenal shirt and to be able to do it on that stage was amazing.
The pre-match talk was all about Julián Alvarez and his value, that he was a hot asset and that Arsenal wanted him, so there must have been an element of him trying to prove a point, although he never admitted it.
That was Gokeres’ answer. He was strong and powerful and scored his 19th goal of the season. He’s very good at penalties.
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But his run in the first half, when he created a chance for Martin Odegaard, showed his true nature. Strong enough to thwart defenders, power and quick enough to break through and bring in low crosses. It was great.
His hold-up play was good. He was in a high mood. fair play. After much criticism and attention, the £64m striker has really emerged.
I wish I could do that on a regular basis. He doesn’t have Alvarez’s speed, touch, or mobility. Lately, there have been some revisionist opinions about Gokeres and why he was signed. All of a sudden, he talked a little bit about always being another option or a backup.
Arsenal will not sign a player for £64m as their second choice. The reality is that Gokeres have been underpowered for much of the season and if they had signed a truly top-class centre-forward they would have been 10 points clear in the title race.
It would be hard to imagine Arsenal releasing two of their three strikers – Gokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus – to finance Alvarez’s transfer this summer.
Alvarez, 26, is a top draw and showed against Arsenal why he is so coveted. he was great. He created everything. He created chances for himself and his team-mates and showed great coordination.
When he left, Atlético disappeared. It emphasized his importance to the team. He will be Arsenal’s biggest threat in the return game.
Mikel Arteta shows Declan Rice the way forward (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
That’s what Arsenal need in a striker. If they can combine the three they have: Jesus’ touch and control, Havertz’s link play and technique, and Gokeres’ raw power, they will have the perfect striker. But you can’t do that. So you’ll probably have to buy it again.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will only make a statement if they beat Atletico next week to advance. This will prove that they deserve to be on the biggest stage.
Of course, it’s consecutive semi-finals. But in football you have to prove that you deserve to be there by actually progressing. It would be huge if Arsenal could get through.
They certainly did enough to beat Atlético. They were dominant except for the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Referee Danny McCarey made a mistake. The first was a penalty. The second is a UEFA penalty, as handball decisions are made in Europe. Yes, everyone can find the clip and the reason. But the instructions are clear. The third one was embarrassing.
If it takes 13 views, it’s not clear enough to be overturned. It seemed a sign of weakness and incompetence to see the referee change his mind in the face of the crowd’s screams and the opposition manager’s screams in his ear. I was really poor.
This should give Arsenal even more incentive to get the job done.
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