Borges Points to Arsenal System as Gyokeres Finally Finds His Feet

Rui Borges has offered his take on Viktor Gyokeres' stuttering start to life at Arsenal, pinpointing the Gunners' tactical setup as the root cause of the striker's early difficulties in north London.

The 27-year-old Swede arrived from Sporting CP last summer in a £63.5m transfer, but has managed just 17 goals across 43 appearances in all competitions this season—a return that left sections of the Arsenal faithful questioning whether the investment had paid off.

Recent weeks, however, suggest Gyokeres is finding his rhythm. He bagged four goals in two outings for Sweden during the latest international window and netted Arsenal's sole effort in their 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton.

Borges reckons the initial wobble was simply a matter of settling into Arteta's system. "I believe in the initial stage he had to adapt, given the style of play, and how Arsenal plays," the Sporting manager explained. "But he is still a great forward and now he is back to what he does well which is scoring goals."

The Portuguese boss acknowledged that Arsenal's supporters had harboured reservations about their new signing, but believes patience is now being rewarded. "During the first stage, the fans were suspicious given what they paid for him, but little by little the truth came to the surface and he is a really great player and he will keep scoring goals," Borges added.

With Sporting preparing to host Arsenal in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg, Borges expects his former charge to receive a hero's reception from the Alvalade faithful. "He is a great player, and I am sure he will be welcomed by everyone because he marked the history of Sporting, and he deserves this acknowledgement," the manager said.

Borges emphasised that Gyokeres' departure was handled amicably. "He had the ambition, and after talking to the management, they came to an understanding. So ultimately everything that happened was correct for both sides; both Sporting and the player got what they wanted. He wanted to take that step in his career and we respect that."

When pressed on whether Arsenal's recent dip in form presents an opportunity, Borges rejected the suggestion outright. Instead, he warned that a wounded Arsenal side could prove even more dangerous. "It is a great team, and great teams always want to win. They want to be in all competitions," he said. "They will be like a wounded beast tomorrow. They will be more focused, more willing to show their collective and individual capacity."

The Sporting boss acknowledged that Arsenal's stuttering recent form could actually work against his team. "Frankly, I think it will make things more difficult for us the fact that they have not had the best two last matches. But Arsenal will be facing a very motivated team."

Borges concluded with an ambitious statement of intent: "We believe we can do something extraordinary tomorrow, something that has never been done by Sporting."