Ther have been many articles discussing whether it was sensible for Gareth Southgate to substitute Bukayo Saka for Raheem Sterling just after France had taken the lead against England in Saturday’s World Cup quarter final, but according to the Arsenal legend Ian Wright, the England boss wouldn’t have done such a crucial change if the Arsenal star wasn’t struggling to carry on.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright says Saka must have been injured before England substitution. Speaking on his podcast, the Arsenal legend said: “I thought that the substitutions were good. They’re saying that Saka may have had a little knock.
“He started to tear Hernandez to pieces. He didn’t know what to do with him.
“If he [Saka] stays on, we win the game, if he wasn’t injured. I can’t see any other reason for him to be taken off.
“In the first-half he was getting into it, and they got away with some fouls on him, and they got it off of him to go and score the first goal.
“But you could see that he was just fractions away from it happening, the touch, the movement, and then they just get a toe in.
“And in the second-half, he just went. It’s like when [Kylian] Mbappe gets the ball, it does what he wants, and only time he’ll lose it is when he messes up what he’s trying to do.
“Saka wasn’t messing up what he was trying to do, they had to foul him.”
Well, if this is true, the Arsenal fans should be thanking Southgate for protecting Saka and taking him off before he got worse, even though he knew that it would lessen England’s chances of winning the game.
In fact, I think he may have been right…
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This hypothesis seems very right to me. Saka apparently had a problem. His game has gotten better and he is bolder with his decisions.
The referee won the game for France though. Too controversial to still be retained overthere!!!
I’m shocked Harry Kane kicked the penalty poorly to let England down. No Saka to blame fot his one!!!!
I supported the decision of taking off Saka for more than one reason.
He was getting tired and becoming lest effective as he needed a player or two like Jack Grilish to play with close control for him to get the ball out of those tight spaces .
He needed Walker with his pace to overlap to the byline , but Mbappe fear took away that option.
Happy he was taken off , he will be needed on boxing day with the support he needs