Sporting vs Man City: Now is the time for Gyokeres to cement his elite level reputation
Sporting CP’s welcome of Manchester City tonight promises to be an emotionally charged affair. Ruben Amorim takes charge of his final home game before going on to be named Manchester United boss later this month, and he can quickly win over his new employers with a win over their city rivals.
Sporting maintained their seemingly unstoppable march towards the Liga Portugal title with a resounding 5-1 win over Estrela da Amadora on Friday night to make it 10 wins from the opening 10 games. During that time, the Lisbon-based powerhouse have scored 35 league goals and conceded just three. No wonder United were hellbent on bringing in Amorim as Erik ten Hag’s successor.
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Leading the charge for Sporting is the irrepressible Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede, who has been heavily linked with moves to Arsenal and Chelsea, has scored 16 times in Portugal’s top tier following his four-goal haul on Friday night. Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old has earned a better WhoScored rating (8.58) than any other player in Liga Portugal this season.
And while he hasn’t been quite so lethal in the Champions League, two goals and one assist in three European outings isn’t to be scoffed at. With the spotlight likely to be on the Jose Alvalade Stadium as United fans tune in to watch Amorim’s side against City this week, Gyokeres will be another focus of attention as Sporting look to inflict a third successive defeat upon the defending Premier League champions.
Gyokeres is understandably one of the most coveted forwards in Europe, and he has previously stated that if Amorim were to leave the Portuguese capital, he’d follow the 39-year-old out the exit. Another superb display, this time against one of world football’s (depleted) heavyweights will only add to his growing list of admirers.
Reportedly available for between €60m-€70m next summer, Gyokeres will be high on wishlists as Europe’s powerhouse sides consider a move for the next elite level striker. That being said, there are understandable concerns about the striker’s adaptability. It’s all well and shining week in, week out against Portuguese opposition, only to struggle against stronger defences, but Gyokeres to his credit has been excelling for both club and country this season.
Factor in his English football experience during his time at Coventry, and this’ll serve as a further boost to his reputation. Besides, a number of players before Gyokeres have left Sporting only to shine in the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes the stand out examples.
When you consider Gyokeres’ desire to bring others into play – he ranks fifth for key passes (20) – ability to run at defenders – he ranks fourth for successful dribbles (25) – and hard work off the ball – the Swede ranks second for possession won in the attacking third (12) – and the appeal is there to sign a forward who has the skillset and the physical presence to make the step up in his career. As he has proven under Amorim, Gyokeres is the perfect lone forward, a system that a number of top teams implement nowadays.
While Sporting will be desperate to retain Gyokeres’ services, even they’ll be the first to admit retaining the Sweden international’s services next year will be nigh-on impossible. A stand out showing against City this week will further cement his reputation as one of the finest strikers on the continent and add to the clamour already surrounding the hotshot Swede.
