Steve McManaman says he ‘feels sorry’ for two Arsenal stars | Football

Steve McManaman said he ‘felt sorry’ for Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz following Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Slavia Prague as Mikel Arteta’s playing style means the forwards often ‘get the blame’ for the side’s more cautious performances.

Arsenal maintained their unbeaten record in this season’s Champions League as a pair of first-half strikes from Noni Madueke and Gyokeres proved decisive before Wiktor Nowak’s late consolation.

The result ensured the Gunners, last year’s runners-up, sit third four matches into their league-phase campaign following previous victories over Napoli and Lille and a 2-2 draw away to Bayern Munich.

September’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton in the Premier League remains Arsenal’s only loss in all competitions this term, an impressive run that Arteta’s men will look to continue when they return to action at home to Hull this weekend.

Arteta made a total of six changes to his team that got the better of Liverpool on Sunday, with Gyokeres starting through the middle in place of Havertz at Prague’s Fortuna Arena.

The Sweden international has endured a tough start to the new season but played a key role in the opening goal, assisting Madueke with a hooked pass behind Slavia Prague’s defence for Arsenal’s breakthrough inside just nine minutes.

He then got on the scoresheet himself to double the visitors’ advantage shortly before the break, beating Nazar Domchak with a superb effort that went in off the upright.

While it proved a far more difficult second half for Gyokeres as Arsenal held firm to protect their lead, ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid star McManaman felt the striker should have come away proud with his night’s work.

However, the ex-England international expects Havertz to return to Arteta’s starting XI when the north Londoners return to top-flight action against Hull on Saturday.

‘I liked him in the first half. I think in the second half, when Arsenal became a little bit dishevelled, they weren’t as close to him so I think it’s hard,’ McManaman said of Gyokeres’ performance.

‘When they are playing well, he is up there on his own. In the first half, they were very compact, they were very close to him, they were getting around the sides, they were making chances, so he looked dangerous.

‘In the second half, when it got really stretched and they were wide and he was up on his own, he looked as if he was just left alone a lot.

‘I think when Arsenal play as more of a unit, attacking and defending together, I think he looks better.’

Given Arsenal aren’t renowned for being the most ‘entertaining’ of teams, McManaman finds himself ‘feeling sorry’ for Gyokeres and Havertz in certain matches.

‘I do feel sorry for Arsenal forwards sometimes because they’re not an entertaining team, they’re not like a Barcelona. They defend very deep, they defend as a whole and it’s a long way to get to the other end of the pitch to score goals,’ he added.

‘They’re never going to be this entertaining, lovely, free-flowing side scoring goal after goal after goal, and then Gyokeres and Havertz sometimes get the blame because of that. It’s normally the midfielders and the defenders that we talk about.

‘But as I said, Gyokeres had a great first half, he did his best in the second half and he deserves what he got because he got an assist and he got a goal.’

Asked if it could be time for Arteta to trust Gyokeres with more minutes, McManaman replied: ‘Whenever a big game comes around, Arteta reverts to Havertz doesn’t he?

‘People keep saying that Havertz scores goals in the big games and he certainly did that against Liverpool so you can’t really contest that.

‘But I just think he trusts Havertz a little bit more. That’s all it is.

‘Gyokeres played against Slavia Prague and he did exactly what he needed to do. He had an impact on the game, he had a huge impact on the game and we’ll wait and see for Saturday.

‘But I always think that when big games come around, if it was a final or Arsenal or Manchester City, if both Gyokeres and Havertz are fit, then Arteta would always revert back to Havertz.’

Facing the media shortly after the final whistle, Arteta heaped praise on Gyokeres’ all-round display, applauding the Swede’s ‘connection’ with his team-mates.

I thought he was really good. It was a game we believed would be really good for him, for the demands the opponent puts in and the spaces he could use.

‘He’s done it really well, not just for the assist and the goal, but he was really connected to the team. It’s really great news for him, because he really needed that performance.’

On Gyokeres’ combination play,’ Arteta added: ‘He did that really well, understood really well when to appear, when to threaten, because they leave people, they follow man-to-man in the midfield and leave spaces there.

‘So when I said he was really connected to the team, that was another example. I thought he had a great performance alongside the goal and assist.’

Asked whether not starting had been a challenge for Gyokeres, Arteta replied: ‘It’s a question for him, but I’d imagine every player wants to play every game, and Viktor is no different.

‘The players need to impact the game like he has done today when they get the opportunity, to show the level they can produce. It’s really positive for the team.’

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