Arsenal legend said the quiet part out loud about Bukayo Saka's form

Former Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn talked about Bukayo Saka's dip in form in a recent interview.

Saka has not performed very well for Arsenal this season, and it is clear to see that even though the team is playing really well, Arsenal's star boy is not performing in the way everyone expected him to for the season so far.

There are many things to think about rather than just the way he's playing, because there are a lot of factors that go into these things.

Arsenal's attack has not been at its best for quite some time, and a lot of that is also on Saka not being at his best form.

Winterburn discussed how there are so many factors that play into this discussion rather than just that Saka is not playing well.

Arsenal legend said the quiet part out loud about Bukayo Saka's form

He said: “In terms of form, there has been a little bit of a drop-off. What you also need to look at is that twice last season and once this season, he's had injuries. You're assuming he's fully over them. Is it Arsenal's style of play? Are we a bit too slow in transitions? He's usually got two men marking him which makes it very difficult.

“When you've been at such a high level, you are judged by what you're doing going forward. I would imagine it's been a frustrating time for him as well.

“For me it's not criticism because anybody can have a bit of a drop in form. I would throw it back to Mikel Arteta and Bukayo and say, 'right, how do we get you back to the very top level which we know you're capable of producing'.

“That may be a tweak in the way they play, a tweak in the positions that Bukayo is being asked to play. There has been a slight drop in form, and that's not a criticism, it's there for a lot of people to see.”

Winterburn is absolutely spot on with his analysis. It is not just about the way Saka is playing right now, it is also about the injuries that the Englishman has faced.

Over the course of the season, it is also about the disjointed attack that is not letting him be the best version of himself.

If you look at Arsenal from a year ago or two years ago, you would see that there were so many players that would make runs into the final third of the attack to give Saka the space to operate when he needs to.

Right now, you see there are two players on Saka at all times, which is obviously not letting him perform to his best.

Understandably, that's what players of Saka's calibre go through. So many great wingers in the game get double-teamed, and that is something that Saka would need to work on.

But it's also the job of the manager to move pieces around and tweak his tactical ideas so that their best players are able to perform better than they are at the moment.

Arsenal would do really well if they are able to get the best version of Saka. That would transform their attack, and it would show just how devastating the player can be.

All it needs is, obviously, continuity for Saka in terms of injuries, and also just some sort of tactical tweaking from Mikel Arteta to make sure that Saka has a bit more space than he currently does.

It's a lot easier said than done, and I'm not claiming to be a manager. But if there are things that Arteta can let go of in the defensive side of things so that he is able to provide more in the attack, that would raise this team's floor and ceiling at the same time.