Mikel Arteta’s High Standards Leave Two Arsenal Players Scrambling

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta responded to the glowing praise washing Bruno Guimarães’s way by reminding everyone that he hasn’t always been at the requisite standard, while there was an even more pointed message for Viktor Gyökeres.

Arteta is nothing if not demanding. Whether that’s with the ball kids or Bukayo Saka, the supporters or his sporting director, the Basque boss has a high bar he expects everyone vaguely associated with Arsenal to clear.

Guimarães met that high watermark on Saturday, coming off the bench to win an arm wrestle of a fixture against Leeds United. The Brazilian was rightly lauded by the media and Arteta was pressed for his appraisal of the 28-year-old in his postmatch press conference. Any hagiography wasn’t so forthcoming.

“Every week, every game, every minute, every action, you have to be at that level,” Arteta shot back. The 3–0 reverse at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break was still seared on Arteta’s retina, the sight of his players getting resoundingly bullied on the south coast one he couldn’t quite shake. Like everyone in red that day, Guimarães struggled. One game-saving cameo clearly wasn’t enough for Arteta.

“At Brighton, he wasn’t [at the required level],” the manager pointed out. “Today, he was much better, and he can still be much better in the games that he’s done, and that’s what we have to demand. This is what I demand to myself. I’m going to demand the same with the players. Because if we do that, you will raise the standards and we will be a better team.”

Guimarães could at least point to hitting those standards at some point in his Arsenal career. Gyökeres can struggle to make such a claim.

‘Prove It’—Arteta’s Challenge to Gyokeres

Viktor Gyökeres waving goodbye. — It’s been an unconvincing start to the new season for Viktor Gyökeres. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Much like Guimarães, Gyökeres watched Arsenal labor through the first hour of Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff from the bench. The Swedish striker came on at the same time as his Brazilian counterpart for Kai Havertz, yet failed to deliver a commensurate impact. Even after rounding Leeds’ James Trafford, Gyökeres conspired to tread on the ball rather than pick out an unguarded net.

That Arteta called upon the misfiring forward so early is progress. Gyökeres has been limited to snatched substitute appearances in the Premier League thus far, prompting a frustrated admission during the international break. His manager has confirmed that more chances will come—potentially starting with Tuesday’s Champions League tie at home to Lille—but Gyökeres must take those opportunities.

“He will play games and he will have minutes,” Arteta assured reporters, quickly adding, “and the best way is when they enter the pitch, show how good they are. That’s it.”

It was put to Arteta that Gyökeres’s scoring form for Sweden should perhaps have earned him more prominence at the club level. It wasn’t an argument the Arsenal boss accepted.

“They have done it with their national teams,” Arteta scoffed. “Mikel [Merino] has scored two goals with the national team and the sensation is he deserves to play as well. But Martin [Ødegaard] has been exceptional, and that's the situation. The best way is when they have the chance, prove it, and then everybody’s going to be happy.”

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