Noni Madueke came off the bench to help Arsenal secure a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.
The Gunners introduced him in the second half to add greater threat down the right flank, and he duly won the late penalty that Kai Havertz converted to earn a valuable equaliser in Germany.
Following a series of impressive performances this season, including his influential cameo against Leverkusen, questions are now being raised about whether he could challenge for a starting place ahead of Bukayo Saka.
Competition for a starting place
Pundit Charlie Austin, speaking on Sky Sports, offered his view on the situation and acknowledged the difficulty of breaking into the side given the quality already in the position.
“It’s a tough one.
“I think when he’s come on, the performances he’s put in have warranted starting.
“The issue that he has, unfortunately, is that Arsenal’s star boy plays in the same position as him, so it’s going to take the manager to make a brave decision to make that change.”
The former striker suggested that while Madueke’s performances have been impressive, the presence of an established figure in the same role means the manager would need to make a bold call to alter the current setup.
Nevertheless, Madueke’s growing influence has ensured that the debate around the right-wing position continues to gather momentum.
Impact off the bench
Austin also pointed to Madueke’s direct impact against Bayer Leverkusen as further evidence of his effectiveness when given the opportunity.
He added: “If I’m Noni Madueke, I’m asking the question: ‘What more can I do?’ because when he came on last night he changed the game…
“He got the ball, he ran at defenders, made things happen. In the 58, 59 minutes that Saka was on the pitch, he didn’t.”
In recent weeks, Madueke has been in excellent form for Arsenal, regularly producing strong performances from the bench and demonstrating his value to the team.
The Englishman appears to be enjoying life at Arsenal and has established himself as one of their most dependable attacking options. While he has not been flawless since his move, his determination and ability to influence matches have helped him win over many doubters, particularly during moments when Bukayo Saka has struggled to make the same level of impact.
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Saka has struggled all season
Due to
Injures disruption at the start
Opposing teams are now have two players on him.
Where as before he could pass into midfield and let odegaard recycle possession etc, eze doesnt do that.
Gyokeres and eze – gyokeres is an average striker , who needs space, his movement in poor, doesnt latch onto through balls or control them very well. All the wingers have struggled with gyokeres and eze as they havent adapted. Playing with either or both has been effectively playing with a player or two less
Eze relies on space and a flash of magic where as odegaard will knit play and stretch teams.
Madueke has played well, but look at the games he has started, there have been moments where he loses control of the ball when running with it.
Perhaps this weekend he should start in order to give saka a break
But its easy for pundits and experts to knock saka when the above issues are not considered
Great observation bro. Our 9 and 10 is killing our attack. We need an upgrade next season. Your wingers will never do well if your 9 and 10 are not good enough. By now Eze and Gyo should have at least 8 assists each with the position they play. They mostly invisible most times. Like we play with 9 or 10 players.
Funny. Its a matter of opinion obviously. Some say Gyökeres struggle because our wingers struggle. Other say our wingers struggle because Gyö/Eze struggle. What is the truth?
Truth is, both have struggled or not struggled at all – whichever you want to look at it.
We are still the top scoring team in the PL and probably at least in the top 5 in the CL. We are doing just fine. Aside of Haland, Mbappe and Kane, Gyökeres is not too faraway in the charts (top 5 European leagues).
Saka, Martinelli and Ödegaard however, have struggled this and last season both. What’s their excuse? Gyökeres has struggled at times, let’s agree on that. What is the excuse for our trio who have been with us for many seasons?
I use Michael Olise as an example. Look at the goals he scored against Atalanta. Saka used to score those kind of goals in the past – cuts in and curls away. Why doesn’t he do that anymore? Olise doesn’t need a striker for that, he’s done them with Jackson and Kane both.
Saka and Ödegaard deserve all the criticism as does Eze/Gyökeres, although I think they should be critised even more given that Eze/Gyö only just arrived.
DaJuhi,
I have thought for a while now that Saka isn’t contributing like he was. And yes while he’s had his injury issues, that’s no excuse for the amount of times he’s failing to contribute in a game.
Unfortunately, with him being our academy poster boy, his underperforming seems to be excepted more than it would be for others.
“Pundit” seems to be doing a bit of shite stirring.
Norgard, Madueke, Kia and Calafiori should all start tomorrow. Saka can move back to 10. Max on the standby.