Mikel Arteta shows true colours as details of meeting with Viktor Gyokeres emerge

Mikel Arteta has offered reassurance to Viktor Gyokeres, insisting he retains "a lot of faith" in the striker's capacity to deliver for Arsenal despite his current goal drought. The Sweden international has netted three times in 11 appearances for the Gunners so far and has gone seven consecutive matches without a goal contribution.

Yet that hasn't diminished Arteta's confidence in his new forward. In fact, the Spaniard anticipated this very scenario and believes it will demonstrate Gyokeres' true worth.

Arsenal face one of their sternest challenges of the campaign to date when they welcome Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening. Ahead of the Champions League clash, Arteta addressed questions regarding his striker's barren run and reaffirmed his conviction that Gyokeres can deliver on his potential in north London.

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"This is football, and we can't expect a player to change contexts [from Sporting CP to Arsenal, or Portugal to England] and have him do the same thing instantly," he told Marca. "Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best.

"And if that's not provided by their performance or a specific aspect of the game they expect from you, we have to provide it for them to maintain their optimal state of mind. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the No. 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. If not, you're not good enough at this level. That's why I have a lot of faith in him."

Gyokeres arrived from Sporting with high expectations, having netted an impressive 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Portuguese giants. This tally included a staggering 54 goals in just 52 matches for the club last season.

However, the £55million striker has yet to hit his stride back in England. That's despite Arsenal currently leading the Premier League and maintaining a perfect record in Europe after two games.

A goal against Atletico Madrid could be the confidence boost Gyokeres needs to silence his critics and prove he can perform against top-tier defences. Diego Simeone's team have had their own struggles in La Liga this season and already suffered defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.

Arsenal were always likely to experience some teething problems after changing their attacking approach. Gyokeres is the first traditional No. 9 to spearhead their attack in some time, with Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino playing very different roles last season.

Both Havertz and Merino tended to drop deeper and play with their back to goal. In contrast, Gyokeres often excels at running behind defences, providing a different kind of threat than many are accustomed to.

The responsibility also falls on Arteta to ensure that his key summer signing is utilised effectively. Gyokeres' scoring record in Portugal speaks volumes about his potential when set up for success.

Arsenal have the opportunity to top the Champions League table with a victory over Atletico at home on Tuesday. They are among six teams, which also includes Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, who have won their first two matches.