Arsenal: Good luck not over-hyping Bukayo Saka now

Arsenal need a left winger, and Bukayo Saka is exactly that. And after Qarabag, good luck staving off the mass of overhype. Allow me to contribute.

My predicted starting XI before the match had a few players that I was super stoked to see in the side. They all worked their way in at some point, but it was the start of Bukayo Saka, his first Arsenal start, that really had me giddy.

Saka has burst onto the scene this season, as true left winger with all the fixings of someone who is truly special, as he plays with a speed and directness that is to die for. And we were treated to 90 minutes of his pure, unadulterated brilliance.

Now, before I get into the specifics, bare in mind that it was Qarabag, and that is why I want to preface everything said about him with exactly that – this was Qarabag. If he does this against any Premier League side, saddle up the horses and get him in the team immediately, but for now, let’s just appreciate what he may be able to do in the future.

From the word go, Saka was determined to do something with his chance, more than any other player out there. He was in his natural left wing position and you just knew tell that he was going to make a difference.

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I think the full brunt of what he put the Qarabag defenders through could be seen when, by the 75th minute, they were taking blatant shots at him, kneeing him in the back and then chopping him down minutes after.

At that point, you really do have to start counting fouls as positives too, because he drew so many of them. He was fouled more than the rest of his teammates combined. He put up a massive eight completed dribbles, more than any two players combined. He took more shots, and they weren’t Elneny/Xhaka-esque potshots, than any three players combined. Three of Arsenal’s four shots on target came from this young man.

And the biggest eye popper of them all, he did not once succumb to a dispossession, as he was a custodian of then ball. He was actually the only non-defender to not get dispossessed, so add that to his

It was pure cruelty that Saka was denied a crowning achievement goal at the last minute, as Vagner got quite lucking, stopping the shot with his face and preventing Saka from putting the finishing touches on what was a fantastic performance.

It was the Saka show. As it has been in the youth set-up as well, where he has a whole five goals and seven assists, which solidified his promotion from the U18s to the U23s.

Call me crazy, but I’m more excited about him at 17 than I was about Reiss Nelson at 17. And that’s saying something.