Arteta 'Absolutely Bonkers' to Bench Gyokeres Against Manchester United, Says One Columnist

Charlie Wyett's Arsenal column following the Inter Milan victory presents a curious case study in journalistic stubbornness. The Sun writer had apparently settled on his narrative about Gabriel Jesus's importance to the side within 30 minutes—and he wasn't about to let facts get in the way.

Jesus did indeed impress early on, scoring twice by the half-hour mark. But then Viktor Gyokeres emerged from the bench to fire home a cracking finish of his own. Rather than acknowledge this development might complicate his thesis, Wyett simply ploughed ahead regardless.

The result reads like a piece constructed before the final whistle, with the Gyokeres goal awkwardly shoehorned in. Wyett argues that Arteta "will be absolutely bonkers if he once again sticks with" Gyokeres, praising Jesus's "all-round play and the way he held the ball up and linked play" as the crucial differentiator. It's an interesting stance given that Arsenal, currently leading the Premier League with a perfect Champions League record built on squad rotation, have won seven and drawn two of the nine games Gyokeres has started since November.

The column's fundamental problem is simple: it's difficult to argue that a joint top scorer needs benching without offering compelling evidence beyond vague praise for hold-up play and link-up work—particularly when the player in question has been far from a liability.

Meanwhile, the back pages continue their descent into speculation territory. The Mirror leads with Pep Guardiola supposedly on the verge of stepping down "this week," citing Richard Keys as the source. Keys claims "it's on his mind" to leave Manchester City. This is presented as a theory deserving serious consideration, despite Manchester City sitting second in the Premier League, occupying a Champions League knockout spot, and holding a 2-0 advantage in a cup semi-final.

The Sun's homepage, meanwhile, still carries the headline "Gyokeres, pack your bags" despite it being rendered obsolete by full-time. The original claim? That Arsenal fans had told Gyokeres to leave. The evidence? A single tweet from an account with 395 followers that received two likes.

On other matters, Kobbie Mainoo's apparent U-turn to stay at Manchester United following Ruben Amorim's sacking comes as little surprise given he's been immediately embraced by the new regime and handed 90 minutes in a derby. That's hardly a revelation worthy of capital letters.

Jack Grealish, meanwhile, faces months out with a foot fracture. The Sun's framing of him "sweating on an England spot" is creative, given he hasn't featured in a Three Lions squad in over a year—including none of the camps held by Thomas Tuchel, who overlooked him even when he was producing four assists in three games at Everton.