Gary Lineker delivers clear Viktor Gyokeres verdict as Arsenal title expectation ramped up

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have had their say on Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres after the Swede scored in Saturday's 2-0 win at Burnley.

The 27-year-old scored the opener against Scott Parker's team at Turf Moor, with Declan Rice doubling the Gunners' lead later in the first half. It was Gyokeres' sixth goal for the north Londoners since making the £64million move from Sporting CP in the summer.

Gyokeres has largely struggled to impress since joining Mikel Arteta's men, firing blanks in each of his previous five games in the English top-flight before netting against Burnley. He did, however, net a brace against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, but by which point Arsenal had already secured a two-goal cushion.

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And former Manchester City defender, Richards and ex-Tottenham striker Lineker have delivered their thoughts on Gyokeres while analysing Arsenal's latest win.

“The question is can Gyokeres make the difference in the big games?" Richards asked on Monday's The Rest Is Football podcast.

"Right now he is doing well for the team in terms of stretching, but he is missing a lot of opportunities that could go against them at the end of the season, but Gyokeres needs to be the difference against the bigger teams and in the latter stages of the Champions League and when it get really difficult in the league.”

Lineker agrees that Gyokeres still has to prove he can carry his goal-scoring touch into the biggest top-flight fixtures as Arsenal chase a first Premier League title since 2004.

“I agree. It would have helped his confidence yesterday scoring," he said.

"I know people will say it was just a tap in, but it doesn't matter. It does not matter. It is really important for strikers as I think he had gone five games without a goal in the Premier League. That would help him because when you go through those little patches you start to wonder a little bit.

“The criticism people would say, and I don’t want to call him a flat track bully because that is unfair, but what he did in Portugal he didn’t really score his goals against the top teams and so far his goals have been Burnley, Forest and Leeds.

"I take your point and I think he needs to do well in some of the big games, but I think he has had a reasonable start, but I think Alan pointed it out a week or so ago, he has given them something different.

"He likes to try and get behind defences, which makes defences drop a bit deeper, therefore you have more space for the likes of Declan Rice and the playmakers that Arsenal have.

“It is working at the moment, but I take your point he needs to do it in a Champions League (game) or a big game. I would say overall it has been a reasonable start, but nothing incredible. He’s not Haaland clearly, but then again no one is. He’s unique.”

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