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Bukayo Saka: 2019/20 Performances

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chessygoal

Well-Known Member
I remember Iwobi played a blinder against Chelsea a couple of years ago. Best player on the pitch. He scored one and assisted another. Saka hasn't had a performance that comes close to that.
He literally had the same kind of performance a few weeks ago against Man u.
Saka has a quality Iwobi never had, composure when it matters. Even when he has an off day like yesterday, he still delivered what could have been an assist.
And I'm actually a fan of Iwobi. Just 2 different players, with a different set of attributes. If I had to choose a playmaker, I'd go for Iwobi everytime. If I need someone to play as a pure winger, Saka is probably a better option.
I'm happy with Saka/Martinelli as super subs.
 

Mark Tobias

Mr. Agreeable
'But I didn't compare him to Messi'. This guy really isn't the sharpest knife in the draw. :lol:
Can't eat soup with a knife, bro.

No idea what you think you added to the discussion today... Pulling up comments that I stand by doesn't serve any purpose at all. Iwobi is gone as well. Get over it..
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
I remember Iwobi played a blinder against Chelsea a couple of years ago. Best player on the pitch. He scored one and assisted another. Saka hasn't had a performance that comes close to that.


Always thought our fans were too harsh on him, when we went to the Nou Camp in 2016 he was our best player too!
 

Beast Incarnate

Active Member
Can't eat soup with a knife, bro.

No idea what you think you added to the discussion today... Pulling up comments that I stand by doesn't serve any purpose at all. Iwobi is gone as well. Get over it..

I'm not saying you changed your opinion, just that your opinion has proven to be knee jerk and hilariously wrong.

Oh, I didn't literally mean your knee jerked by the way. :lol::rofl:
 

Mark Tobias

Mr. Agreeable
I'm not saying you changed your opinion, just that your opinion has proven to be knee jerk and hilariously wrong.

Oh, I didn't literally mean your knee jerked by the way. :lol::rofl:
How is it knee-jerk and hilariously wrong? Has he been playing in a team that is conducive to allowing new talents to emerge? Our best players have been struggling and here you want our youngsters to perform to such a standard that "messi comparisons" are justified. BWAHAHA and you calling me knee-jerk.. What a joke.
 

Beast Incarnate

Active Member

Always thought our fans were too harsh on him, when we went to the Nou Camp in 2016 he was our best player too!

Even last season he was one of our most consistent players. He had a bit of a bad spell, which the fans seem to hold onto and choose to ignore all the good performances. Yet Özil gets a free pass to play gash for the majority of the season. Our fans are a strange bunch.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Would swap any of our young players to get Iwobi back if I could, and I like our young players...will always wonder what a Pepe-Auba-Iwobi attack would have looked like, should have kept him and Eddie and sold Lacazette in the summer.
 

Beast Incarnate

Active Member
How is it knee-jerk and hilariously wrong? Has he been playing in a team that is conducive to allowing new talents to emerge? Our best players have been struggling and here you want our youngsters to perform to such a standard that "messi comparisons" are justified. BWAHAHA and you calling me knee-jerk.. What a joke.

What? I clearly didn't say that. I was one of the few telling people in this thread to chill and not hype him up too much. It was you with the 'already better than Iwobi' comment after 2 games. :lol:
 

Mark Tobias

Mr. Agreeable
What? I clearly didn't say that. I was one of the few telling people in this thread to chill and not hype him up too much. It was you with the 'already better than Iwobi' comment after 2 games. :lol:
The point is he won't be able to perform to the level that justifies my comment because THE WHOLE TEAM HAS BEEN STRUGGLING..
Sad that this needs to be spelled out for you..
Not many things more pathetic than a guy ripping into a youth player.
To be fair, he isn't ripping into a youngster as much as he is singling out people for opinions which haven't had the context to be proven right yet..
 

HaffBR

Designer of fancy pyramids
There is some doubt though about his defensive contribution, his athleticism and his ability to score goals.

But I think he is a talented youngster, the original idea is use his good crosses to Auba and Lacazette (even Pepe or Martinelli if they are in) score goals, and this has been working in parts, see that he already has a good number of assists.

However, to be that kind of player he has to be a much better ball carrier and help more the defense, especially since it seems to me that neither Tierney nor Kolasinac are good defenders.

Also, he would need to compensate for the team leaving Lacazette or playing Auba on the right and Auba on the right is not half of what he is on the left and especially centered. Also there is point that especially Tierney is already a good crosser of the ball if the scottish is able to goes forward.

For me, if Saka could adapt his strengths playing on the right he could have more room in my opinion, while Pepé has a hard time finding his form and Martinelli doesn't look like a pure winger, even tho he played more or less well against Frankfurt.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
The heel turn continues.

He wasn't even that bad when he came on, his first touch was skinning Cantwell and creating a chance. He wouldn't have been my choice to come on, but he's been fine. Him getting chances is exactly the kind of thing I want to see us doing. The payoff will be rich, even if it doesn't come straight away.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
The heel turn continues.

He wasn't even that bad when he came on, his first touch was skinning Cantwell and creating a chance. He wouldn't have been my choice to come on, but he's been fine. Him getting chances is exactly the kind of thing I want to see us doing. The payoff will be rich, even if it doesn't come straight away.

Expectations are way too high for him this year, youngster development is mostly peaks and troughs rather than a steady, upwards gradient.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Expectations are way too high for him this year, youngster development is mostly peaks and troughs rather than a steady, upwards gradient.
Agree - although at this point Saka's development has been pretty steep and linear up to now, so this is probably the first plateau he's experienced in a while.

I'm in the minority but I'm OK with the peaks and troughs with these guys. I don't want them playing every single game but giving players like Saka chances is exactly the kind of thing I've been wanting for a while and this is one of the issues that come with it. It's just whether the others can have more perspective instead of crying "overrated" every two minutes after a poor game or two.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
Agree - although at this point Saka's development has been pretty steep and linear up to now, so this is probably the first plateau he's experienced in a while.

I'm in the minority but I'm OK with the peaks and troughs with these guys. I don't want them playing every single game but giving players like Saka chances is exactly the kind of thing I've been wanting for a while and this is one of the issues that come with it. It's just whether the others can have more perspective instead of crying "overrated" every two minutes after a poor game or two.

I think he’s shown real talent this year, but he’s never going to maintain that over a season.

People expecting Messi and Ronaldo level consistency from most youngsters are setting themselves up for disappointment.

The game time he’s getting now will pay off massively in a few years.
 

HaffBR

Designer of fancy pyramids
I think Messi and Cristiano level and consistency are only possible in Barcelona and Real Madrid, not possible in today's Arsenal. Cristiano Ronaldo in Juventus is not that consistent as he used to be in Spain and he wasn't as consistent in MU either, in fact Rooney was regarded as better prospect than him in the beginning, with better end product, media ratings and everything. Messi is also inconsistent in big matches with the Argentine team (in his early days at Barcelona too) if compared with his last 10-years Barcelona form.

So if neither Messi or Cristiano would be "Messi" or "Cristiano" in this Arsenal, let's not expect an 18 year old to make it. Now, because he can't be one or other doesn't mean we can't look at a player and analyze what he is good at and what he can improve on.

Saka has shown talent yes, especially in the crosses, passes and dribbling in the short space. In an ideal environment, you would have three young players competing on the left and right side with good and bad flashes/form, but you would need more than only flashes to take the place of the older ones there (Aubameyang). In a 4-3-3 situation, the normal is Lacazette to play as CF and Auba as a LF, until some youngster really breaks the scene, which is really hard in my opinion.
 

Beast Incarnate

Active Member
He's an 18 year old kid. Very few can play consistently at a top level at that age. For us, I can only think of Cesc who was ready at that age.

I've seen this cycle so many times now:

Young player looks good in a few games >> fans hype him up and put too much expectation on him >> player inevitably starts to struggle >> fans turn on him

I mean it's amazing how many of our fans were criticising us for losing Gnabry, but most of our fans had turned on him after he stagnated after that initial burst into the team.

I think I'd hate to be a young player coming through our academy.
 

yorch44

Commander of the Pelotudo Brigade
I only rate Martinelli, he has something you clearly see. Then Willock he can do it, he could be a good player.

Saka, Nelson and Douzy... I don’t see anything about them. Average players potential just like Iwobi. Our best prospect winger was Gnabry, he always looked dangerous.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
He's an 18 year old kid. Very few can play consistently at a top level at that age. For us, I can only think of Cesc who was ready at that age.

I've seen this cycle so many times now:

Young player looks good in a few games >> fans hype him up and put too much expectation on him >> player inevitably starts to struggle >> fans turn on him

I mean it's amazing how many of our fans were criticising us for losing Gnabry, but most of our fans had turned on him after he stagnated after that initial burst into the team.

I think I'd hate to be a young player coming through our academy.

Anelka was a starter in a genuinely world class team at 18, him and Cesc are easily our best two teens from the Wenger era.
 
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