Ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League encounter with Everton on Saturday, boss Mikel Arteta has pointed to two vital factors behind Bukayo Saka’s recent dip in form.
The hallmark of a Hale Ender, Saka has often been his side’s go-to for a flash of brilliance in years gone by – but things have dried up this season.
At the time of writing, he’s scored nine goals and provided a further seven assists in 39 outings. Despite that, the Gunners are seven points clear at the top.
| Postition | Club | Matches | W/D/L | Points |
| 1. | Arsenal | 30 | 20/7/3 | 67 |
| 2. | Man City | 29 | 18/6/5 | 60 |
Against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League was a tricky evening for the Englishman as supporters claimed he ‘looked lost’ against the Bundesliga outfit but why does Arteta think that’s the case?
The 2 reasons behind Saka’s dip in form, according to Arteta
Against Leverkusen, Bukayo Saka repeatedly lost possession of the ball and was rather ineffective in the final third. Comparatively – and unfortunately for Saka – his replacement Noni Madueke was the game-changer.
His directness and sharpness of the bench earned a draw for the Gunners in Germany and Charlie Austin has implored Arteta to start Madueke ahead of his compatriot Saka moving forward.
Whether Arteta is willing to drop one of his best players in Saka remains to be seen – but he has provided two reasons behind his dip in form.
When fit and raring to go, Saka has often combined well on the right flank alongside the likes of Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz (when he’s played) but injuries have hampered these opportunities.
“We have changed that unit [on the right] a lot, much more than in recent years,” Arteta said when asked about Saka’s gametime and injuries to other players, per The Athletic.
“The amount of games and minutes he’s played now, it’s a bit more already than the whole of last season. we also just have to understand the demands we’re putting on players.
He concluded: “That’s another thing that obviously when we talk about the beauty of the game, all these things affect certain things for sure.”
‘We fully trust him’ – Arteta waxes lyrical about Saka
“We fully trust him and love him,” Arteta insisted, per The Evening Standard. “What he’s doing for us, for this club, is just incredible at his age and he’s continued to have a massive impact for us.”
Bukayo Saka, now 24 years of age, has now made north of 300 senior appearances for Arsenal after making his debut at 17.
In mid-February, the winger put pen to paper on a new five-year deal to see him become the club’s highest-earning player and it seems that he’ll be going nowhere anytime soon.
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“He can have an individual performance that is not probably a reflection of his level, like every human, every player in the world. But overall when you look at his strength and the impulse he has in the team, it’s just incredible.”
Does Arteta have reason to trust Saka
In short, yes. Even when Arsenal have been in trickier periods, Saka has been one of the few players that have stood up to be counted when the going gets tough.
It’s evident that Saka thrives on the idea of chemistry and when his attacking teammates change on a week-by-week basis (often due to injuries), he struggles to adapt.
Arteta will know better than to lose all hope in the 2001-born winger but it would be also wise to flirt with the idea of leaving him on the bench moving forward. It’ll only freshen him up upon his return.
