Arsenal vs Olympiakos: 5 keys players in second leg

3. Bukayo Saka

Mikel Arteta has been trying to give Bukayo Saka a rest, but two things keep getting in the way. The first thing is that no other leftback is healthy. Sead Kolasinac got the start against Everton, spotting Saka a needed break, but Kolasinac got hurt fifteen minutes in. Kieran Tierney is also still out and so is Cedric Soares.

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So unless Arteta wants to roll the dice on Sokratis as a leftback, Saka will have to start yet again. But that leads to the other thing that keeps getting in the way of giving Saka a rest—he’s just so good.

His introduction against Everton sparked inspiration for Arsenal. He found space, he created chances, he, of course, assisted. That’s just what he does.

But he also got sloppy in the second half, forfeited a lot of dangerous possession, and it was probably a byproduct of exhaustion. So much is being asked of him lately and it looked to be taking it’s toll.

We need Saka at his best, but we also just need him to do a job, since no one else is healthy enough to do it.

On to No. 2.