Who Says Gyokeres Is Not Good at Heading the Ball?

LONDON, SATURDAY — The heading ability of Arsenal's new striker Viktor Gyokeres was once in doubt, as that attribute had never been prominent throughout his career. Who would have thought, Gyokeres is actually skilled in aerial duels. He showcased this in Arsenal's final preseason match.

Gyokeres was finally able to unveil his "mask" for the first time in an Arsenal uniform. He scored the opening goal in the significant victory of manager Mikel Arteta's team over Athletic Bilbao, with a score of 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium, London, on Sunday (10/8/2025) early morning WIB.

In Gyokeres' dictionary, scoring is a common occurrence. However, his method is unique. He broke through the goal of the Spanish national team's goalkeeper, Unai Simon, with a powerful header from a cross by midfielder Martin Zubimendi. Simon was helpless as the ball flew swiftly towards the top right corner of the goal.

Gyokeres nearly doubled his goal tally in the second half. Once again, the opportunity arose from a header. He soared to meet a chest-high cross from winger Noni Madueke. The ball flew swiftly but only struck the goalpost.

The heading ability of the 27-year-old striker seems to have emerged suddenly. Last season, with Sporting CP, he scored 54 goals across all competitions. However, none of the goals came from headers. All goals were scored with his feet, whether from open play or set pieces.

Throughout his career, Gyokeres has only scored eight goals with headers. This number is significantly lower than that of Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes (17 goals), who can only score during set-piece situations. Arteta seems to have won the lottery with that hidden ability.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was impressed by Gyokeres's complete package. "I love his goals, his threat, his ability to lock down two opposing center-backs. He's the type of player who, when given space, will destroy you," he told Sky Sports.

Upon closer examination, Gyokeres's heading ability is not apparent due to a lack of exposure. Sporting relies more on the striker to create opportunities through transitions. They are relatively infrequent in making crosses, unlike Arsenal.

According to FBref data from the 2024-25 Portuguese League, Sporting only ranked seventh in terms of attempted crosses (629). This figure is very low for the league's most offensive and prolific team.

Meanwhile, Arsenal ranked third in the same category in the English League last season (766 times). The team coached by Arteta also recorded 44 percent of their total goals coming from headers. This statistic reflects their reliance on aerial balls.

Havertz scored the final goal through an individual action from the center of the field. He took advantage of a moment during a counter-attack in a situation where half of the opponent's field was already empty. Havertz was only followed by the opposing defender Adama Boiro.

In previous seasons, Havertz would typically hold the ball and wait for assistance from other players. This time, however, he directly carried the ball on his own all the way to the penalty area. Boiro made a slight push, but Havertz, who appears more robust now, was not affected.

Havertz completed the opportunity alone with a low shot to the left side of Simon's goal. The tall forward, who can also play as an attacking midfielder, seemed unwilling to be outdone by Gyokeres. Meanwhile, Gyokeres played very straightforwardly every time he received the ball.

Arteta stated that Gyokeres and Havertz could be both competitors and partners. "They can play together. Kai can drop into other positions. With both of them, the quality of this squad improves. They can pose many problems for the opposing team. It is pleasing to see them score goals," he remarked.

The result serves as a good capital for Arsenal ahead of the season opener against Manchester United next week. Arteta fielded the best squad in the final preseason match, including new midfielder Zubimendi, who performed impressively as a link in the attack.

In the two previous matches, "The Cannoneers" suffered consecutive defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal. "We discussed before today's match about the need to convey a message, and I believe we succeeded in doing that," said Arsenal wing-back Myles Lewis-Skelly. (AP/REUTERS)