Pain in the Arsenal
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3 reasons for Bukayo Saka’s drop in form

By Adam Keys

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on March 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on March 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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2. Minutes played

Last season, Bukayo Saka played 3,353 minutes for Arsenal and looked shattered at the end of the season. This season he has played 3,684 plus England minutes in the World Cup and Euro Qualifiers, taking him to 4,248 minutes in total.

At Man City, only Rodri has played more minutes for club and country, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez all coming in with significantly fewer minutes played, particularly in the Premier League and World Cup.

Those minutes need to be looked at by both Mikel Arteta and Gareth Southgate next season. Yes, top players need to be able to play 60 games a season, but that doesn’t mean they need to play 90 minutes every time they step on the pitch.

There have been many games this season where Saka could have come off, but Arteta has played him for 90 minutes, even when games were won due to a lack of depth. This is an area where Arteta needs to improve next season, as another season like this won’t be sustainable.

After Wolves, England play North Macedonia and Malta, two games they have more than enough quality to win without Saka. Southgate needs to do the responsible thing and give the boy a rest.

Continued on the next slide…

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