Mikel Arteta is teaching Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka things already.
It looks like Mikel Arteta is already having an impact at Arsenal – on the training ground, anyway.
The Gunners have taken one point out of Arteta’s two Premier League games in charge, following Sunday’s defeat by Chelsea at the Emirates.
Despite it not being an ideal start, there is a difference in tactics and approach in comparison to how Arsenal played under Unai Emery, sacked by the North Londoners in November.
And many of the playing staff have all been waxing lyrical about his methods behind-the-scenes thus far.
Bukayo Saka has been forced to play an unfamiliar left-back role in recent games but the club’s academy product has been impressed by the Spanish head coach’s tips in training.
The 18-year-old has told Arsenal’s official website that Arteta has encouraged him to not try and get rid of the ball as soon as he gets it.
He said: “Maybe one thing that I’ve picked up straight away is that when nobody’s pressing you, you don’t need to pass the ball.
“What you can do is just get the ball, drive the ball forward a bit and wait for someone to come to you, commit a player, then pass it.”
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