Saliba: Gyokeres Reaches 21 Goals Before Arsenal Semi-Final
saliba aside, Viktor Gyokeres arrived at Monday’s pre-match press conference with 21 goals already in the bank and Arsenal heading into a Champions League semi-final. He said the mood around the squad was strong, with the biggest tests arriving this month.
“I think there’s a good feeling in the dressing room,” Gyokeres said. He added that Arsenal were “very excited with every game that’s coming now, so it’s just to prepare and to show that energy on the pitch.”
A brace on Saturday took him past the 20-goal mark for the season, and he said that production is tied to the basic demands of settling into a new club. Since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in the summer, he has had to adjust to a new routine and a new country while Arsenal have judged him through a mix of praise and criticism.
Gyokeres and Arsenal’s run
Gyokeres said the move has demanded quick adaptation. “The biggest challenge is to adapt and come into a new routine, a new country, because you change everything in your life, to adapt to that is what you have to do quick, and be ready for all the challenges that are coming,” he said.
For Arsenal, the immediate challenge is not a single league result but the stretch of fixtures that now carries the most weight. Gyokeres said, “I think of course you want to score goals so to reach that (21 goals) is of course a good thing, but the most important things are coming this month, so we have to do our job and see where it gets us.”
He linked that run directly to the position Arsenal are in. “Of course, it’s a great feeling if we can achieve that, but also to experience the position we’re in, and to play these kinds of games is what we know we’re going to do, and that’s great,” he said.
Metropolitano penalty streak
Last week at the Metropolitano, Gyokeres scored a first-half penalty for Arsenal. That kick extended his run to 27 consecutive spot-kicks converted for club and country, a sequence that trails only Harry Kane’s 30 among players in Europe’s top five leagues since 2000.
Gyokeres summed up his approach simply: “Don’t try to think too much and just put it in the back of the net.” He also said scoring and winning together produce the best feeling, a useful marker for a striker whose output has climbed while Arsenal move into the decisive part of their season.
What comes next for Arsenal is a test of whether that good dressing-room mood matches the pace of the fixtures ahead. Gyokeres has already reached 21 goals, and his penalty record gives Arsenal one more reliable edge as the club tries to turn this month into the stretch that shapes everything after it.
