Euro 2020: 3 tasks for Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka in England vs Italy final

Bring the Best Out of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling

Heung-min Son and Kane have a (frustratingly) incredible on-pitch relationship. They bounce off each other in a way you have to admire even if it’s normally Arsenal who are on the receiving end.

For England and especially in this tournament, however, it’s different for the captain.

With Raheem Sterling and Saka either side, Kane relies on the two working in tandem despite their geographic distance from one another in order for him to find the spaces he feels he can hurt the opposition.

Saka has earned storming praise for his performances but the aspect that has gone mostly unnoticed is how his role in the team favours his two forward partners.

So versatile in his positioning, he is someone who can hold the right on his own but come infield to make up the numbers needed to counter Italy’s three-man midfield. That area of the pitch will be the battle ground that could swing the tie either way, regardless of individual superiority in other areas.

Declan Rice will have his hands full with Nico Barella, and with Saka dropping deep, Phillips’ energy can complement him who can then hone in on Marco Verratti. Getting them pinned in will isolate Sterling and Kane further up and the Man City man’s pace will always beat either Italian central defender.

Bulking up the numbers in midfield will free Kane and Sterling, as it has done for the latter many times already this tournament. In-game positional shifts are invaluable to disrupting and suffocating the Italian engine room, which Saka has in his locker to perform.

Both Sterling and Kane have profited from Saka’s ingenious movement in this tournament. It’s not always dropping deep either, as seen with his clever bending run and movement against Denmark. Darting in between wing-back and full-back, he made a run was superbly found by Kane who could drop deeper to assume possession on account of Saka moving out to the touchline.

He brings the best out of England’s best.

So, there it is. A blueprint to beat Italy. Steady as she goes. And while there are many more than three roles for Saka to perform should he start as expected on Sunday, the three mentioned which are already instinctive parts of his game, could swing the pendulum one way or the other.

Bring it home, Bukayo. We’re so proud of you whatever may come.