Emile Smith Rowe has been speaking about Bukayo Saka, and commented on how difficult it is to dispossess the Arsenal man in training.
What’s the story?
Well, Smith Rowe arguably knows the 20-year-old better than most people at the Emirates Stadium, having risen through the youth ranks with him.
As quoted by Football Daily, the Arsenal No.10 said: “It’s so hard to get the ball of him, even in training, so I’m not surprised other players are fouling him. Everyone knows how good he is and we’re so proud of him.”
That doesn’t surprise us in the slightest – Saka’s dribbling ability is exceptional, and few Premier League players have pocketed him.
Interestingly, the Arsenal No.7 isn’t a prolific dribbler like Allan Saint-Maximin or Adama Traore, but he is far more efficient.
As WhoScored shows, Saka only completes 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League, but his tight control and fantastic end product means he doesn’t need to surge to the byline to make his dribbles count.
For his age, the Hale End Graduate has a phenomenal awareness of when to let the ball go, and when to protect it.
Arsenal must get more from Bukayo Saka
As good as the wonderkid is, Saka has started the current campaign slowly.
Of course, EURO 2020 must’ve taken a lot out of him – both physically and emotionally – although that needs to be put behind him.
As things stand, Saka has scored just one goal in eight Premier League appearances this season – a player of his quality can do better.
At times last season, the England international carried Arsenal.
Even though he shouldn’t have to carry the team, it certainly helps, and Arteta needs to find a way to get Saka back on track.
That is no criticism of the forward himself, as the Gunners have underperformed as a team in general, not just Saka.
However, he is capable of more, and Arsenal need him to step up.
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