Sport nationOPINIONArsenal have Bukayo Saka replacement that ‘has to start’ against Man City after injury fear
Arsenal wenger us a big fan of Bukayo Saka
Arsenal news as Mikel Arteta faces huge Bukayo Saka dilemma ahead of Manchester City clash with attacking options discussed
Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have been told who must start against Manchester City (Image: Franco Arland/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta faces a huge choice and a nervy wait as Arsenal prepare to face Manchester City on Sunday. Once again the build-up to the match has been dominated by the fitness of his players, perhaps a welcome distraction after they fell to defeat in Europe on Tuesday.
Playing it typically vague, Arteta effectively failed to give anything away, leaving everyone guessing in the build-up to this game. The centre point to it all is Bukayo Saka and at this stage there is little evidence that points either way in terms of a decision.
The 22-year-old was taken off in France after just half an hour, the potential breaking point for a player that has already racked up over 10,000 league minutes without taking into consideration the nature of his game, how frequently he is fouled and also the burden placed on him by England as well.
Ahead of the biggest game of the season so far, the big one between last season’s top two and title fighters, Saka is a doubt. It’s far from what Arteta will have wanted and his message on Friday was simple. “He’s in contention, let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday,” the Spaniard said. “He had to leave the pitch, that’s never good news but let’s see how he recovers.”
Arteta also refused to fully expand on what the injury is, creating yet more speculation and debate. For Arsenal the matter is simple, without Saka their chances of winning are significantly decreased.
Although the forward options are plentiful there are still doubts over Gabriel Martinelli’s availability too. He last played over two weeks ago against Everton after also being taken off through injury around the half hour mark. It leaves Arteta in a tough position with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ready to play but without the two star men it’s not ideal.
READ MORE: Arsenal predicted XI vs Manchester City as Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka both start
READ MORE: Arsenal line-ups vs Manchester City as Partey starts, Zinchenko dropped and Saka decision made
Jesus would play regardless but it is the make-up, positioning and wider system around him that is not certain at this stage. Very few managers are able to call on the quality in rotation as Arteta, though.
It is a credit to their squad building in recent windows that a player with four goals and 11 assists in little more than 1,400 minutes in an Arsenal shirt can still be considered second choice. Former Gunners left-back Kieran Gibbs thinks that Arteta must turn to Leandro Trossard now in order to get the best from his team.
Gibbs told ESPN FC : “Trossard definitely has to start for me in this game.” Given his record across all competitions its no surprise. No player, not even Saka, has a better goals and assists per90 record than Trossard for Arsenal.
Although his sample size is small and often coming from the bench, his impact is massive. Since arriving in January he has scored in three seperate competitions and racked up 10 assistss in the league in just half a season. The nature of the Arsenal beast, though, and the depth of Jesus, Martinelli and Saka all ahead of him, means that Trossard’s starts are still limited.
However, the evidence suggests that if Arteta does follow Gibbs’ advice that he would be rewarded for the trust and faith shown. Should either Saka or Martinelli – let alone both – be sidelined for the game then they already have the perfect replacement and it doesn’t take a major tactical tweak to fit him in either, unlike the more unorthodox option of having Jesus wide and Nketiah through the middle.
Trossard also looked good when the two sides met in the FA Cup last term, who knows, he might just go one step further if needed this time.
OPINIONArsenal have Bukayo Saka replacement that ‘has to start’ against Man City after injury fear
Arsenal news as Mikel Arteta faces huge Bukayo Saka dilemma ahead of Manchester City clash with attacking options discussed
Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have been told who must start against Manchester City (Image: Franco Arland/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta faces a huge choice and a nervy wait as Arsenal prepare to face Manchester City on Sunday. Once again the build-up to the match has been dominated by the fitness of his players, perhaps a welcome distraction after they fell to defeat in Europe on Tuesday.
Playing it typically vague, Arteta effectively failed to give anything away, leaving everyone guessing in the build-up to this game. The centre point to it all is Bukayo Saka and at this stage there is little evidence that points either way in terms of a decision.
The 22-year-old was taken off in France after just half an hour, the potential breaking point for a player that has already racked up over 10,000 league minutes without taking into consideration the nature of his game, how frequently he is fouled and also the burden placed on him by England as well.
Ahead of the biggest game of the season so far, the big one between last season’s top two and title fighters, Saka is a doubt. It’s far from what Arteta will have wanted and his message on Friday was simple. “He’s in contention, let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday,” the Spaniard said. “He had to leave the pitch, that’s never good news but let’s see how he recovers.”
Arteta also refused to fully expand on what the injury is, creating yet more speculation and debate. For Arsenal the matter is simple, without Saka their chances of winning are significantly decreased.
Although the forward options are plentiful there are still doubts over Gabriel Martinelli’s availability too. He last played over two weeks ago against Everton after also being taken off through injury around the half hour mark. It leaves Arteta in a tough position with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ready to play but without the two star men it’s not ideal.
READ MORE: Arsenal predicted XI vs Manchester City as Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka both start
READ MORE: Arsenal line-ups vs Manchester City as Partey starts, Zinchenko dropped and Saka decision made
Jesus would play regardless but it is the make-up, positioning and wider system around him that is not certain at this stage. Very few managers are able to call on the quality in rotation as Arteta, though.
It is a credit to their squad building in recent windows that a player with four goals and 11 assists in little more than 1,400 minutes in an Arsenal shirt can still be considered second choice. Former Gunners left-back Kieran Gibbs thinks that Arteta must turn to Leandro Trossard now in order to get the best from his team.
Gibbs told ESPN FC : “Trossard definitely has to start for me in this game.” Given his record across all competitions its no surprise. No player, not even Saka, has a better goals and assists per90 record than Trossard for Arsenal.
Although his sample size is small and often coming from the bench, his impact is massive. Since arriving in January he has scored in three seperate competitions and racked up 10 assistss in the league in just half a season. The nature of the Arsenal beast, though, and the depth of Jesus, Martinelli and Saka all ahead of him, means that Trossard’s starts are still limited.
However, the evidence suggests that if Arteta does follow Gibbs’ advice that he would be rewarded for the trust and faith shown. Should either Saka or Martinelli – let alone both – be sidelined for the game then they already have the perfect replacement and it doesn’t take a major tactical tweak to fit him in either, unlike the more unorthodox option of having Jesus wide and Nketiah through the middle.
Trossard also looked good when the two sides met in the FA Cup last term, who knows, he might just go one step further if needed this time.
Sport nation
Amina Umar