Bukayo Saka: Saka The Net

[Trilly]

Rashford is also way older lol. What's it with you and nacho comparing Saka to grown men in their prime?

can you read or does your vision condense into some filter that only sees in Saka praise v Saka hate? I’m literally saying there’s no point in comparing the two. First your earlier post now this, stop looking for a fight.

But age isn’t the point you want it to be. I have no issue comparing Martinelli to Rashford as their roles are a lot more similar.

Development isn’t always linear, it’s never as simple as saying player X is five years older so ofc he’s going to be better. Rashford had his 24GA season when he was about Martinelli’s current age. He hasn’t even hit that number this season.

Assuming young players will linearly get better with age is just wrong, there will be ups and downs during their development unless you’re truly generational.

Lastly a 25 year old isn’t a grown man in his prime. Bffr and at least post with sense if you’re gonna try come for me for no reason.

 

[Macho]

What's it with you and nacho comparing Saka to grown men in their prime?

This lingering feelings from past arguments? Cause I haven't compared Saka to any body for ages and ages.

I think Saka is comfortably the best right winger in the league this season. I don't watch enough leagues to say the world but as an Arsenal fan I'd be willing to argue he's top 5 right winger on the planet atm.

Am I only allowed to compare Saka to grown men when it's praise or? Otherwise I am not sure why I have been brought up here.

 

[Geofranco]

This lingering feelings from past arguments? Cause I haven't compared Saka to any body for ages and ages.

I think Saka is comfortably the best right winger in the league this season. I don't watch enough leagues to say the world but as an Arsenal fan I'd be willing to argue he's top 5 right winger on the planet atm.

Am I only allowed to compare Saka to grown men when it's praise or? Otherwise I am not sure why I have been brought up here.

It's hard to forget how passive aggressive you were towards a 19 year old Saka in that dire 20/21 season. It almost came off as personal sometimes like you knew Pepe in real life and had to fight for his spot. Or maybe you were just jaded and cynical cause of years of banter football.

 

[Maybe]

Development isn’t always linear, it’s never as simple as saying player X is five years older so ofc he’s going to be better. Rashford had his 24GA season when he was about Martinelli’s current age. He hasn’t even hit that number this season.

Assuming young players will linearly get better with age is just wrong, there will be ups and downs during their development unless you’re truly generational.

This isn't gonna be popular here but I think Saka is playing close to his full potential, I don't see much room for improvement in his game tbh.

He won't be faster, his decision making is already amazing, and his shooting was always good.

The only thing that interests me now is how long he can maintain his current level, which is obviously very high as he is already one of the best wingers in the game.

 

[Geofranco]

This isn't gonna be popular here but I think Saka is playing close to his full potential, I don't see much room for improvement in his game tbh.

He won't be faster, his decision making is already amazing, and his shooting was always good.

The only thing that interests me now is how long he can maintain his current level, which is obviously very high as he is already one of the best wingers in the game.

I don't think he is close to his ceiling when it comes to end product. He can still improve his heading ability, probably gonna start scoring free kicks in a couple of seasons. Also his movement in the final third is going to keep improving. Those two goals his scored against crystal palace are a glimpse of his end product potential getting into those dangerous areas in the final third.

 

[Trilly]

This isn't gonna be popular here but I think Saka is playing close to his full potential, I don't see much room for improvement in his game tbh.

He won't be faster, his decision making is already amazing, and his shooting was always good.

The only thing that interests me now is how long he can maintain his current level, which is obviously very high as he is already one of the best wingers in the game.

That’s a good point tbh. They’re not gonna like that though because to disagree with it they’re gonna have to point out weaknesses in his game

He’s performing at a WC level already and it becomes difficult (I can’t think of anyone) to think of other wingers performing/performed at an even higher level who didn’t have outrageous natural talent or crazy physical gifts. I think that’s the door he’s knocking on but I’m not really sure how he breaks it down.

Turning his shooting ability into consistent finishing and using his right foot more were the two big areas he could improve in and he’s done that before hitting 21.

The only two areas I can think of are:
1v1 (or even 2v1) dribbling in the final third to create more shooting/cutback opportunities.
Consistent shooting from outside the box. It looks like he’s got this down but we need to see more of it.

Besides just maintaining his current level I think the only easy way for a clear improvement is to place him around better teammates or change his role so he can impact the game more e.g. playing him centrally or shifting the focus of his role towards end product.

 

[MikeVinna]

I don’t think it can be predicted whether he can go up another level. There’s definitely a trend of players peaking young, though..

 

[Gooner416]

Tears in my eyes, @Gooner416 let’s gooooooooo

My boy needs to hit Icebox and then next level has been reached

 

[Trilly]

My boy needs to hit Icebox and then next level has been reached

Only Ls he knows have a V after it.

B Saks blowing a stack in Saks?

They call him Chilli but the neck Chilly?

Brrrrrr brrrrrr

 

[Maybe]

I don't think he is close to his ceiling when it comes to end product. He can still improve his heading ability, probably gonna start scoring free kicks in a couple of seasons. Also his movement in the final third is going to keep improving. Those two goals his scored against crystal palace are a glimpse of his end product potential getting into those dangerous areas in the final third.

Fair, but my thinking is that he does have some limitations and he does compensate for that with his technical quality and decision making but it's still a limitation. Mainly I'm talking about his pace, it's decent but I don't think he can reach another level because of it.

Anyways, I love Saka and he is already a top player, I just don't feel he can be that monster 25 goals per season player, but he can still be fantastic if he can stay the way he is now

 

[Maybe]

It's hard to forget how passive aggressive you were towards a 19 year old Saka in that dire 20/21 season. It almost came off as personal sometimes like you knew Pepe in real life and had to fight for his spot. Or maybe you were just jaded and cynical cause of years of banter football.

That was a bit weird period for me because I loved them both, just a shame there was no interest to fit them both on the pitch, 2 fantastic players.

Think it was obvious with Saka what he would become, and maybe that forced Arteta to think about it long term, which worked for us as we can see. I would still love Pepe to be here with this team, even as a sub, but dont think it will happen

 

[GoonerJeeves]

This isn't gonna be popular here but I think Saka is playing close to his full potential, I don't see much room for improvement in his game tbh.

He won't be faster, his decision making is already amazing, and his shooting was always good.

The only thing that interests me now is how long he can maintain his current level, which is obviously very high as he is already one of the best wingers in the game.

I don't know. He's a bright lad, and you'd think he will keep learning as he gain more experience. I think physically, you are probably right, but surely experience counts for something? He has not played that much against opposition in the Champions League etc.

 

[Geofranco]

Fair, but my thinking is that he does have some limitations and he does compensate for that with his technical quality and decision making but it's still a limitation. Mainly I'm talking about his pace, it's decent but I don't think he can reach another level because of it.

Anyways, I love Saka and he is already a top player, I just don't feel he can be that monster 25 goals per season player, but he can still be fantastic if he can stay the way he is now

He will def score at least 25 non penalty goals in all comps by the time he is in his prime. While providing around 7-10 assists in all comps too. I can see him hitting 40 g/a in all comps in his peak season. Plus the fact that he doesn't rely on explosiveness and is this effective bodes well for his future. The more experience he gains the more effective he will be.

 

[Geofranco]

I don't know. He's a bright lad, and you'd think he will keep learning as he gain more experience. I think physically, you are probably right, but surely experience counts for something? He has not played that much against opposition in the Champions League etc.

Also he is going to get stronger. He has not even grown into his man body.

 

[Geofranco]

That was a bit weird period for me because I loved them both, just a shame there was no interest to fit them both on the pitch, 2 fantastic players.

Think it was obvious with Saka what he would become, and maybe that forced Arteta to think about it long term, which worked for us as we can see. I would still love Pepe to be here with this team, even as a sub, but dont think it will happen

Pepe simply doesn't have good enough link up play or a sharp and precise enough first, second or third touch. Plus his mental processing and speed of thought are not quick enough for the level Arteta requires of his players. Even Martinelli is sharper mentally and works like a dog for the team off ball. And Martinelli is 3 years younger than Pepe was when we got him.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

This isn't gonna be popular here but I think Saka is playing close to his full potential, I don't see much room for improvement in his game tbh.

He won't be faster, his decision making is already amazing, and his shooting was always good.

The only thing that interests me now is how long he can maintain his current level, which is obviously very high as he is already one of the best wingers in the game.

I made a similar point earlier in the season, saying that he'd really need to be more consistent since he already had a good floor etc.

While he's not really improved physically this season, he seems to be taking the already good decision-making and consistency and bringing it to a new level. The Saka of last season wasn't capable of the goals against Ukraine or ManUre but now he's at the developmental stage where he knows that taking that shot on at that time is the right decision and has the balls and tekkers to execute it.

I think he'll be capable of being an output monster (along with Martinelli) in the not-too-distant future.

TL;DR, think there's more to come from him as he grows into his new shooting superpowers.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

As others have pointed Saka's not going to get any quicker or overly develop physically from here. He doesn't need to.

You don't peak as a footballer at 21 unless you're heavily reliant on your physical attributes, particularly pace and /or you suffer terrible injuries. Michael Owen is a good example of that.

Saka will become a better player just through repetition and experience. He's not fundamentally a different player now than he was at 18-19. He's improved aspects of his game but he's still the same core player.
There's no reason that in 2-3 years time we won't be looking back on him today in the same way.

 

[Maybe]

Pepe simply doesn't have good enough link up play or a sharp and precise enough first, second or third touch. Plus his mental processing and speed of thought are not quick enough for the level Arteta requires of his players. Even Martinelli is sharper mentally and works like a dog for the team off ball. And Martinelli is 3 years younger than Pepe was when we got him.

Yeah I know Pepe's limitations, and unfortunately, we always discuss those and never his strong points. I would still say he would be useful to have in the squad, after all, he is still under contract with us.

Saka is a starter and will be for the next 10 years, but we were a bit lucky with his fitness. We could use a backup like Pepe next season if the budget is tight and we want to improve some other areas (mainly CM)

 

[El Duderino]

I still think he has a bit more to his game, but then again, just keeping this kind of form is a challenge in and of itself.

Consistency is the diference between a Ben Arfa and Salah, or even someone less patchy and a Salah.

Next season will be huge for him, because he's been a known brand for a while in the Prem, but not continentaly.

You get everyone in Europe talking about you and even if he"""just""" keeps his current level, the perception will be that he'll have gone up a level.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Still cant believe I was alone putting all my eggs in Saka basket while people twerked for Amiechi.