0 duels won: Mikel Arteta poised to drop £45m Arsenal star vs Brentford after Sunderland display - view
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks poised to drop Gabriel Jesus from the starting line-up after his lacklustre performance in the 3-0 win over Sunderland last weekend.
Jesus was picked to lead the line against the Black Cats in the Premier League, but he struggled to impose himself against two physical centre-backs in Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete.
The Brazilian completed six out of nine passes attempted but did not win a single duel (0/3), losing possession on eight occasions. He was also caught offside three separate times.
The £45 million signing was eventually replaced by Viktor Gyokeres at the hour mark. There was an evident difference, with Ballard and Alderete having to handle a more physical centre-forward.
Gyokeres soon doubled the Gunners’ lead (2-0) with a fine finish in the box before bagging his brace in stoppage time.
Gabriel Martinelli led the counter-attack from the halfway line before putting the ball on the plate for Gyokeres to tap home. The Swede still needed to ensure that he was onside in the lead-up.
Like Jesus, Gyokeres did not win any duels (0/3), but he was dispossessed just twice. The 27-year-old scored for the second league game running to take his tally to 13 goals in all competitions.
It appears a no-brainer decision for Arteta to start him when Arsenal take on Brentford on the road on Thursday evening.
Gyokeres is the in-form striker this year with eight goal contributions. He is expected to lead the Gunners’ attack ahead of Jesus, who could be restricted to a cameo this time around.
Arsenal are currently six points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the league standings. The Cityzens came from behind against Liverpool to pick a 2-1 victory at Anfield on Sunday.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
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