If there was any doubt as to whether last season was something of a flash in the pan for Viktor Gyokeres, the start to this new campaign has only emphasised what a talented and unique footballer that he is. In what has been a poor start to the season overall for Coventry City, it has been Gyokeres that has prevented the Sky Blues from being completely adrift at the bottom of the table. It hasn’t just been the four goals that he has scored (two of which were winners in the team’s only league victories thus far), but the manner in which he has dragged the team up the pitch and relieved pressure that has made him so vital for Coventry City. There are areas of his game that can improve, but his ability to so consistently turn nothing balls in his direction into something should not be taken for granted.
It is somewhat difficult to pigeon-hole Viktor Gyokeres as a certain kind of striker. He is somewhere between a target-man and quick forward who runs in behind. It is that combination of physicality and, if not quite pace but, mobility that makes Gyokeres such an important player for Coventry City. He gets on the end of passes that others cannot because he is both quick and able to muscle off defenders. On top of that, he is also pretty skilful with the ball at his feet, making him even more difficult for opposing defences to contain. While he is not the most clinical of finishers or is particularly strong at directly linking up with his team-mates, Gyokeres is constantly able to get himself into dangerous areas and thus the goals follow.
Coventry City’s season looks like it will very much rest on both keeping hold of Viktor Gyokeres and ensuring that he stays fit. The two wins that the team have picked up at this stage of the campaign have not only been the direct result of Gyokeres scoring the winning goal but how the all-round threat he has provided have given the team a threat they wouldn’t otherwise have. Scarily, for the rest of the division, Viktor Gyokeres can still get better, Mark Robins will be hoping that he can harness as much out of Gyokeres’ potential as is possible to get Coventry City out of the mess they are currently in.
Sideways Sammy 