Arsenal’s new front three of Gyökeres, Eze, and Madueke look like they’ve been built in a lab to annoy defenders. Each brings something different, but together they create the kind of chaos that makes centre-backs start pointing fingers at each other before half-time.
Gyökeres is the battering ram with brains. He pins defenders like a fridge glued to the penalty spot, then suddenly spins off to chase a through ball. When he drops deep, centre-backs follow him like lost puppies, leaving oceans of space for Eze or Madueke to run into.
Eze is the drifter. He’ll pop up on the wing, the half-space, or even deeper just to keep opponents guessing. Give him a pocket of space and he’ll glide into it, forcing defenders to shuffle nervously like they’re trying not to step on broken glass. Add an overlapping full-back to the mix, and suddenly the poor full-back doesn’t know whether to track Eze inside or brace for the overlap outside.
Madueke is the spark plug. He loves cutting inside onto his left foot, and every time he does it, full-backs get that “here we go again” look. When two defenders collapse on him, it just leaves Arsenal’s right-back sprinting into acres of space, or Gyökeres lurking in the box ready for the cutback. If you leave Madueke 1v1, though, he’ll happily take you on and shoot before you can even blink.
The beauty is in their movement together. Gyökeres pulls defenders out of shape, Eze glides into the gaps like it’s a dance routine, and Madueke stretches the pitch with direct dribbles. Overlaps, underlaps, cutbacks – it’s all there. By the time Ødegaard joins in, defenders are spinning around so much they’d be better off buying match tickets instead of trying to mark anyone.
Arteta might’ve dragged Arsenal off the homeless streets, but it’s Bertha who’s finally dropped off the furniture to finish the house. For years, Arsenal have been building the foundations – the sturdy walls of a defensive structure, the roof of a consistent midfield, the electrics of Odegaard’s creativity – but the place still felt a bit empty, like a show home with no sofa to sit on. Enter Bertha, with a delivery van full of finishing touches: Gyökeres up front as the dining table everyone gathers around, Eze as the statement rug that ties the room together, and Madueke as the fancy lamp that might be unpredictable but makes the whole place shine brighter. Now, instead of squatting in the cold with potential, Arsenal finally look like they’ve moved into a proper home ready to host a title party.
