Bukayo Saka: Saka The Net

[Macho]

What’s wrong with you

Yousif convincing himself Saka has gained muscles was bs and I explained why. It's just a good picture. Maybe a bit of puberty.

 

[Trilly]

Hi all. I don't post on here often but I wanted to share a perspective on Saka which is a little bit against the conventional view.

No doubt he's a wonder kid at Arsenal and he's done great to establish himself in the first team.

But a little part of me says that he will at some point hit a ceiling and not become "elite".

When I watch him play on the wing, I've rarely seem him beat the fullback near the byline. Usually when he gets the ball at the byline he passes it back inwards to the midfielder nearest to him back into the center of the pitch. It's essentially a dead end because the center of the pitch is packed.

What I want to see him more do is whip the ball into the goal from the byline or try to take on the full back who is in front of him. I've rarely seen him do that and seen so many attacks break down once saka gets the ball at the byline.

Take nothing away from him, he still gets goals and assists but my observation is that they're more tap ins, or being in the right place (e.g. his goal against sevilla yesterday was a good example of being in the right place to poke the ball in). That means he has exceptional off the ball movement and ability to be there at the right time


So all in all, I'm a bit confused about Saka. He definitely has great off the ball movement and positioning, but I don't see him particularly great at the "winger" role especially from the byline where many wingers spend their time.


Look at trent Alexander Arnold from the wing. He has an incredible ability to whip the ball in.

If saka develops that he'd become elite.

Think Saka is good at everything that you’d want from a winger but not elite in any one category, most of A-M disagrees with me on this though. For me his best attribute is his football IQ and if you combine that with his rounded attacking attributes I think you get a world class attacking midfielder eventually.

I think he’s already got the potential to be a good winger on a title winning winning team but agree w/ you that he’ll need to improve at least one of those ‘winger’ attributes to become elite in that position.

I see hints of good ball striking technique with him so I’d like to see him get his shots off more quickly and regularly this season, start creating more shots and goals rather than relying on the ‘positioning’ goals he’s been getting. That’s one route though, he could improve his crossing ability like you said or work on his 1v1 game.

 

[Riou]

Think Saka is good at everything that you’d want from a winger but not elite in any one category, most of A-M disagrees with me on this though.

For me I think his best attribute is his football IQ

He's the Raul of wingers...

Spoiler

or just the new Malouda

...either way he's a great player!

 

[Macho]

I’d say some of @aryal observations is just a consequence of playing on the right side under Arteta.

We’ve been through it many times, but it’s difficult.

I could only think of very few accomplished creative players coming in and doing a better job than Saka. B Silva or something like that (random example of the type of player needed not comparing the two).

 

[Trilly]

I’d say some of @aryal observations is just a consequence of playing on the right side under Arteta.

We’ve been through it many times, but it’s difficult.

I could only think of very few accomplished creative players coming in and doing a better job than Saka. B Silva or something like that (random example of the type of player needed not comparing the two).

Our right side doesn’t help at all but Saka plays more directly than B Silva. Think a better comparison would be Mahrez tbh.

Even accounting for the system there are occasions where you’d want better 1v1 or expect better quality in terms of how well he’s actually struck the ball. He’s not bad at it, but the next step for him is doing better than good.

 

[aryal]

Agree with everyone's comments here. If he could develop that "byline" game he'd be an absolute beast. Imagine him beating the full back and then running towards the penalty box to pass it to someone else inside the box who has a shot on goal.

That's far better than just passing back to a midfielder from the byline and the play slowing down.

So just improving his ability to beat the fullback could massively improve arsenal.

 

[drippin]

Agree with everyone's comments here. If he could develop that "byline" game he'd be an absolute beast. Imagine him beating the full back and then running towards the penalty box to pass it to someone else inside the box who has a shot on goal.

That's far better than just passing back to a midfielder from the byline and the play slowing down.

So just improving his ability to beat the fullback could massively improve arsenal.

Our right side with Pepe and Saka being double teamed by opposition makes it likely they won't try to go past many players by themselves.

Can Pepe beat a player? Yes. So what you have seen is imo more related to tactics than either players ability to dribble past players.

Saka has shown how dangerous he is when 1vs1.

 

[A_G]

How much do we think Saka is going to get?

 

[razörist]

Yeah guys another myth in this thread, Saka scoring “tap-in” goals through his great positioning. Go look his goals back, most are edge of the box or 12-14 yards out. Not easy to score from those positions at all but whatever. Saka from the right is not a traditional winger, think you have to play him from the left for that. He’s clearly doing what Arteta wants from him as well as he is the guy driving us forward, keeping the ball when double or triple teamed, he’s almost never in a 1v1 position. People just making stuff up now to use as a stick against him. Guy is stil 20 years old and was our most important attacker last season. Think Gabriel Jesus fits perfectly with him, can see him go up a level.

 

[Hunta]

How much do we think Saka is going to get?

£150-180k.

 

[Riou]

How much do we think Saka is going to get?

Thought this was gonna be a Saka update tweet when it was loading, ffs AG

 

[Batman]

How much do we think Saka is going to get?

I think Foden's deal has less impact on how much Saka is getting than the same agent getting Nketiah 100k a week. Saka should easily be on 200k based on impact and ability vs wage by that standard.

 

[Makingtrax]

I think Foden's deal has less impact on how much Saka is getting than the same agent getting Nketiah 100k a week. Saka should easily be on 200k based on impact and ability vs wage by that standard.

ESR kicking himself that he signed for 20K before Nketiah got £100K.

 

[Macho]

How much do we think Saka is going to get?

Where would this put Arsenal in the wage championships?

Think Saka is looking at 150k minimum anyways. 200 wouldn't surprise me though.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Yeah guys another myth in this thread, Saka scoring “tap-in” goals through his great positioning. Go look his goals back, most are edge of the box or 12-14 yards out. Not easy to score from those positions at all but whatever. Saka from the right is not a traditional winger, think you have to play him from the left for that. He’s clearly doing what Arteta wants from him as well as he is the guy driving us forward, keeping the ball when double or triple teamed, he’s almost never in a 1v1 position. People just making stuff up now to use as a stick against him. Guy is stil 20 years old and was our most important attacker last season. Think Gabriel Jesus fits perfectly with him, can see him go up a level.

Never understood the "tap-in merchant" criticism anyway, if you can position yourself to get tap-ins then that benefits the team and is a function of good positioning and movement amongst other things. How in the flying **** is this bad?

 

[Batman]

Never understood the "tap-in merchant" criticism anyway, if you can position yourself to get tap-ins then that benefits the team and is a function of good positioning and movement amongst other things. How in the flying **** is this bad?

To be fair, I think it may have started amongst our particular fanbase some 20 years ago when the deluded Mancs were trying to compare HorseFace to the King.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

To be fair, I think it may have started amongst our particular fanbase some 20 years ago when the deluded Mancs were trying to compare HorseFace to the King.

Possibly, but Henry got his fair share of tap-ins, too. We were accused of "trying to walk it in" for years, this is basically the definition of tap-in merchants, lol.

 

[blrgooner]

Where would this put Arsenal in the wage championships?

Think Saka is looking at 150k minimum anyways. 200 wouldn't surprise me though.

If he gets 180k, if Leno and Mari go, it would just replace their wages and the overall wage bill would not increase. Torreira and Bellerin leaving will free up another 185k which can be used for new contracts or for new signings.

 

[ArsenesCoatMaker]

How much do we think Saka is going to get?

Based on that the same, anywhere from 180-250k. For reference I think Rashford is on 180-200k. The problem is I tend to think earning that type of money could make a player lose motivation to prove himself. But you have to pay market rate too or risk losing him.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

What’s wrong with you

He hates the Hale End players ever since they usurped the French guys he loved. If ESR was from Marseille it would be a different story.