Bukayo Saka could be forgiven for feeling the pressure as he stepped up to take the decisive penalty in Arsenal’s 4-2 Premier League win at Chelsea on Wednesday night.
This was, after all, the first spot-kick he’d taken since the Euro 2020 final.
Not that Saka ever looked like letting nerves get the better of him as Arsenal moved level on points with North London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur in the top four race. Mikel Arteta’s ever-reliable number seven slammed past Edouard Mendy, slathering a thick layer of icing on top of a very tasty performance away from home at the European champions.
Maybe Alexander Isak should take a leaf out of Saka’s book.
His most recent spot-kick ended not in beaming smiles but in a booking. Stepping up from 12 yards during Real Sociedad’s La Liga clash with struggling Elche, Isak paused right at the end of his run up before sending the home side’s goalkeeper the wrong way.
The only problem is, penalties such as these are outlawed under FIFA regulations. Isak’s attempt at a Paradinha (translated as ‘little stop’) earned him little more than a yellow card and a stern telling off from a clearly unimpressed referee.
Paying the penalty
And this, in many ways, summed up Isak’s season. The Sweden international was supposed to explode on the back of some exhilarating performances at Euro 2020.
He was linked with Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona. He’s reportedly worth £75 million. Arsenal even made contact with Isak’s representatives recently, via Sport, with the former Borussia Dortmund wonderkid chosen to take Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s place at the Emirates Stadium.
But, like a store-bought firework, Isak has promised much but delivered little. Fizzling out just as the expectation was reaching fever pitch.
He’s scored just five times in 27 La Liga games. And it’s not as if he hasn’t been short of chances either. Isak should have sealed three valuable points for Sociedad against Real Betis last weekend. But, after missing a trio presentable openings, he was hauled as the game limped to a 0-0 draw.
Bang out of form
For £75 million, Arsenal will expect a potentially world-class centre-forward. A dead-eyed assassin ruthlessly and methodically putting away all those chances carved out by Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard.
Isak, however, has just one more league goal to his name in 2021/22 than Alexandre Lacazette.
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“Isak’s (lack of goals) is a bit of an issue,” Spanish football expert Terry Gibson tells the El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
“His all-round play is good but he needs to be banging in (more goals). For him to be talking about going to a ‘next level’ club, he needs to be scoring 15-20 a season.
“The most important thing for a centre-forward is the goals’ column, to give you any chance of taking your team to the next level or you moving onto a Champions League team for £50 million or so.”
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