Bukayo Saka’s notable drop-off in form has continued to fuel debate about Arsenal’s style of play, with questions arising over his ability to turn it around.
Arsenal had their quadruple hopes quashed on Sunday, as Manchester City outclassed them in every department during their 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat.
To the surprise of many, the Gunners ultimately failed to turn up for the big occasion. Being generous, only a handful of players could hold their heads high after the game.
Among those who offered a disappointing showing was Bukayo Saka, who fans place high expectations on to drag Arsenal over the line in the big games.
Lineker doubts an upturn in Saka’s form
In the aftermath of the game, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards sought to dissect Arsenal’s performance on the ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast.
Richards illustrated the context of Saka’s poor form and stressed that it could be down to more than one factor.
“Saka is a top player, but we’re not seeing it because one, the set-up and then two, he’s out of form.
“He needs to now say, ‘OK, we’ve lost this, it’s not the end of the world, what can I do to make sure in the Champions League, in the FA Cup, and in the league, I’m the Saka that everyone knows and loves’, because that’s a big player; big players turn up in the big games, and that’s what they need to do.”
Both Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer found consensus on Saka, indicating that the 24-year-old may find it difficult to reach his best level in the current Arsenal team.
“But can he do it the way they’re playing? Like, you said, they get the ball deep, and he’s having to do so much defensive work, and by the time he gets it, they’re all back and deep, and they can double and sometimes triple up on him.
“He still plays brilliantly, but it’s not easy for him, whereas, if they were, like you said, higher up the pitch, they could get the ball to him early and then he’s one on one and you’ve got half a chance. It’s very difficult to beat two or three players every time.”
Shearer added, “They’re not changing, though, between now and the end of the season. It’s worked for them so far, that’s why, isn’t it?”
Have Saka’s injury woes stunted his development, or is there a deeper issue?
Saka’s contribution to Arsenal’s progress over the last five or six years is beyond doubt. Now a star for both club and country, he broke into the Arsenal first team at 18 and has rarely looked back.
Arguably, his best stretch of form for the club came in 2024, before a significant hamstring tear against Crystal Palace and subsequent surgery derailed his season.
Despite missing over three months of action, the 24-year-old returned for Arsenal’s run to the Champions League semi-finals and reasserted his importance to the squad.
Having scored away at Real Madrid and PSG during the knockout stage, there was belief that Arsenal’s star man was well on his way to regaining the form that saw him compared to the likes of Vinicius Junior and Mohamed Salah.
These moments, alongside his impressive ‘big game’ record, were key to why his passive and blunt performance on Sunday shocked the footballing world.
Beyond his tumultuous road to recovery, it is clear that Saka exhibits signs of fatigue. Both the mental and physical impact of leading Arsenal to three successive second-place finishes may be taking its toll.
Few players have amassed such a large number of minutes since their debut, with concerns now growing over Saka’s long-term performance.
Needless to say, if Arsenal intend to prove their critics wrong this season, they will need Bukayo Saka to find his spark once again, having so often been the man the Gunners could turn to when the going gets tough.
1 Comment
This is really deep hope our star boy turns up soon rather than later