Patrick Vieira admitted the shape of Arsenal summer signing Viktor Gyokeres was a ‘concern’ after the Gunners were beaten at home by Manchester United.
Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces was once more on display in Sunday’s deflating 3-2 loss at home to resurgent United.
The hosts’ opener, a Lisandro Martinez own goal, got here from two crosses while Mikel Merino’s late goal got here from a corner.
Arsenal have been good from set-pieces to this point this season but they’re threatening to turn out to be over-reliant on this path to goal, as highlighted by the actual fact only three Premier League teams have scored less goals than them from open play.
Gyokeres was signed to if not solve then at the very least mitigate Arsenal’s goalscoring issues however the £64m summer recruit has only contributed five league goals.
The previous Manchester United goal has the truth is netted just twice within the Premier League since mid-September, losing his place within the team in recent weeks to the returning Gabriel Jesus.
Vieira admits Gyokeres’ lack of goals is a ‘concern’ for an Arsenal side chasing their first league title since 2004 and believes the team must do more to feed the assorted attackers.
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‘In fact it’s a priority because you wish your No. 9 to attain goals,’ the ex-Arsenal captain said on Sky Sports. ‘You wish them to get into double figures and that’s not the case at once.
‘That’s the priority but Arsenal are still top of the league so meaning they’re doing something good. It’s a collective game and there’s a whole lot of players with 4 or five goals.
‘They should create more for the strikers and put them in higher positions to create possibilities and rating goals. By doing that possibly you need the ball within the box more relatively than recycling the ball.
‘They’ve a physical presence in order that they need more balls within the box and more players within the box.’
Arsenal were hoping to revive their seven-point lead at the highest of the Premier League against Manchester United but a deflating defeat leaves Manchester City just 4 points behind.
Vieira, the last Gunners captain to lift the Premier League trophy, questioned the present team’s ‘mental strength’ within the title race.
‘They’re still 4 points clear, but there are still questions on the mental strength of the team,’ the France football icon added.
‘It’s not only that they lost the sport, it’s the way in which they lost the sport. (Bukayo) Saka and (Leandro) Trossard didn’t produce enough to fret United.
‘They need a pacesetter to lift the spirit of the team. They need to know once they are on the pitch they need to play with more energy and more risks. They’ve the standard.
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‘They didn’t play with the liberty to precise themselves. They should return to the fundamentals and to precise themselves, play with freedom, and go forward.
‘There have been too many players that didn’t perform today. It was a must-win game. They needed to send a message to the remaining of the teams within the league.’
Vieira’s criticism was put to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after Manchester United made it two wins from two under caretaker manager Michael Carrick.
‘That’s wonderful, we accept every opinion, where it comes and where it’s coming from and they’re going to have the proper reasons to say it,’ Arteta said.
‘At the top now we have to indicate the mental strength that now we have on the pitch relating to a match day and we were absolutely good in Milan and today we weren’t that good.
‘I don’t know if it was mental due to how much they played, but because we were poor, especially technically in certain elements of the sport against a team that, while you make those mistakes, they will punish you big time and that was the difference.’
Arsenal conclude their Champions League group campaign on Wednesday night before returning to Premier League motion next weekend against Leeds United.
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