How to stop Viktor Gyökeres? ‘We’d have to foul him just to slow him down’

Viktor Gyökeres, the new Arsenal striker, has been a dominant force in Portuguese football over the past two seasons. During his time at Sporting, he scored an impressive 68 goals in 66 league appearances, and an additional 29 in other competitions. Opponents from his time in Portugal have shared their experiences on how they attempted to contain the Swedish forward. Kewin Silva, the former Moreirense goalkeeper, faced Gyökeres on multiple occasions and found it extremely challenging to stop him. In one match, Gyökeres scored three goals against Moreirense, while in an earlier fixture, the defense managed to keep him relatively quiet, except for a penalty goal. Premier League teams will have their work cut out for them in trying to contain Gyökeres. One opponent suggests that the only way to slow him down might be to foul him, highlighting the difficulties defenders face in dealing with his relentless and dominant play.