Arsenal: Bukayo Saka display for England nothing new

The world took notice on Tuesday night to a young man by the name of Bukayo Saka. It was almost as if nobody had ever seen him play football before. Arsenal fans, guilty of overzealous behaviour when it comes to their own, were left to sit and mutter ‘we told you so’.

It felt like a watershed moment. Similarly to how Kieran Tierney marshaled Harry Kane when England faced Scotland, those of a different affiliation to Arsenal sat up and took notice to just how special the 19-year-old is.

This is nothing new. Throughout the entirety of the 2020/21 Premier League season, supporters have waxed lyrical about the magnificence of Bukayo Saka. All who doubted the strength of the words used were given mitigation for their lack of notice, due to the unavoidable struggles Arsenal have endured.

A woeful campaign that ended with an eighth place finish and no European football, culminating in Mikel Arteta needed to gut and revamp almost his entire squad, isn’t where you’d expect talent to reside.

Bukayo Saka display for England nothing new to Arsenal fans who have watched him every week and waxed lyrical about his brilliance

Dormant football fans have now awoken from their slumbers. The smell of the roses permeating through the air and opening their eyes wide open: Saka is a remarkable talent. But we already knew this.

He starts every game for Arsenal for a reason. His backpack is so rammed full with the rest of the team he can barely close the zip. His shoulders broad and unbreakable shouldering the burden of an entire football club.

Generational, he is.

Gareth Southgate opted to choose him ahead of Jadon Sancho, a decision most England supporters found incomprehensible; the numbers don’t lie; the Champions League experience plain to see.

Watching the Gunners’ Player of the Season drop into deep half-spaces where he could collect possession on the half-turn, carry through transition and break lines, suddenly the Three Lions boss’s decision was vindicated. Sancho, for all his brilliance, didn’t even factor in to the equation.

A breath of fresh air; a youthful exuberance; ball retention in advanced areas and energy to cover grass and take Czech Republic players on, it was the Saka Arsenal fans have watched every week. A blessing in itself.

As has been the case across the European Championships, numerous individual performances have had fans daydreaming about how glorious it would be to see that level of talent on show at the Emirates. Watching Saka play on the biggest stage of all was a timely reminder that there is some good left at Arsenal, and it’s worth fighting for.

The world can stand up and take notice now. We were already on our feet applauding.