The story of the two strikers of Arsenal and Manchester City is bringing an interesting comparison. Erling Haaland continues to show his familiar destructive form. Meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres evokes a completely different sense of familiarity.
Another failed match by Gyokeres, this time against bottom-placed Wolves. That means the £55m signing from Sporting Lisbon has failed to score in 11 of his 14 Premier League appearances this season. This is a statistic that is almost completely opposite to Haaland and has increasingly raised concerns.
This comparison may not be completely fair, but that is the current measure. Haaland's two goals against Crystal Palace helped him increase his Premier League tally this season to 17. More notably, he has even scored more goals at the same time in his first season in England, without any adaptation.
Of course, Arsenal - not Man City - are the team leading the rankings. They are still a very strong team. However, the "big impact" that sporting director Andrea Berta expected from Gyokeres when recruiting him in July has not yet come true.
At the age of 27, with an impressive scoring record in Portugal, Gyokeres was once considered the ideal No. 9 striker that Arsenal were looking for. But worryingly, the physical advantage that has overwhelmed him in the Primeira Liga seems to have taken off in the much harsher Premier League environment.
This decline is clearly shown through the numbers. Gyokeres' duels winning rate has dropped from 50% in Portugal last season to just 37% in the current season.
The Wolves game - where he only had 15 touches and just had one shot - was just the latest proof of a series of days when Gyokeres struggled to assert himself in the Premier League.
The decline in performance is predictable when the level of competition and competition quality are improved. However, this level of decline, after 4 months of competition, is really worrying - even considering the unfortunate injury he suffered last month.
Mikel Arteta has repeatedly emphasized the importance of Gyokeres' shuttle contributions. The Swedish striker's diligence and efforts are undeniable. But the Gunners' captain himself admitted that, after all, Gyokeres will be judged by the number of goals.
The problem is that at this point, those goals are still hidden from him.
The most memorable image in the performance against Wolves was the situation where Gyokeres could not touch the ball from Bukayo Saka's cross in the first half. This was a moment that accurately evoked his slow tackle against a similar pass from Declan Rice in the final minutes of the match against Aston Villa.
For a striker who scores in the box, being in the right position to take advantage of such opportunities should have been instinctive. However, slow-paced solvents are becoming a clear weakness of Gyokeres.
Gyokeres currently has an average of just 0.76 shots per 90 minutes - a very low number compared to Haaland, who has averaged 1.85 shots per hand in the same period.
It is no surprise that at Selhurst Park last weekend, the Norwegian striker only needed one chance to open the scoring for Man City. It was a typical one-touch shot, when he found space in the Crystal Palace penalty area to head into the opponent's net.
