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Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of action for Arsenal since the March international break. He played in the Carabao Cup final against Man City before returning from the England camp to be with Arsenal. After a month on the sidelines, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka is back.
Put simply, Mikel Arteta said "Bukayo probably is going to be in the squad, so good news."
I think we can all collectively agree to ignore the 'probably' - right?
Arsenal fans will finally breathe a breath of fresh air
Arsenal fans have been missing Bukayo Saka. Perhaps you could put it down to the inevitable April crumble, but the Gunners just haven't been the same club since he's been out of action.
The numbers speak for themselves, Arsenal are a better team with Bukayo Saka in it. While his individual big-picture numbers might be down, Saka has more of an influence on the team than goals or assists paint.
Stats | Saka starts | Saka bench appearances | No Saka |
|---|---|---|---|
Matches | 22 | 5 | 6 |
Wins | 16 | 2 | 3 |
Draws | 4 | 3 | 0 |
Losses | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Points-per-game | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
Goals scored | 44 | 7 | 12 |
Goals per game | 2 | 1.4 | 2 |
When Bukayo Saka was playing, Arsenal were dead certs to win the league. Now, they find themselves needing to be perfect to keep up with Man City, and it could go to the very last hurdle.
Saka knows the reality Arsenal face - he's seen it himself, one too many times. He will know that only perfection is required now, and if he has as much about him as we Arsenal fans like to think, his return to action means he will take each and every game by the scruff of the neck.
Bukayo Saka isn't the only player returning for Arsenal vs Newcastle
Mikel Arteta also confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori will be back in action this weekend. Jurrien Timber, on the other hand, remains out of action.
Beggars can't be choosers. It would have been nice to have Timber back in action, but heck, we will certainly take Saka and Calafiori instead.
Arsenal can now field a lineup that is as close to full-strength as possible. Newcastle have been majorly out of form, and while they've proven capable of upsetting Arsenal in the past, only a win will do for the home team.
Man City does not play in the Premier League this weekend, as they are in FA Cup action instead. Therefore, Arsenal have the opportunity to extend the gap to three points with a win (albeit, City still need to play their game in hand).
What is second-most important, behind the points, is the goal difference tally. Man City are only ahead on goal difference by one, so if Arsenal have their goal-scoring boots on, they will maximise their chances of success before the end of this season.
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