Saka should have been rested
Arsenal faced off against Champions League opponents RC Lens on Tuesday night, walking away defeated 2-1. After just 34 minutes Bukayo Saka was seen grabbing his hamstring and was forced to come off the pitch early.
Before the game against Lens, a lot of Arsenal fans were wondering if Arteta would risk starting Saka after the past few games. Coming down against Everton, Tottenham and picking up a knock against Bournemouth, most Arsenal fans would have been thinking it was the perfect time to give Saka a rest, but when the starting line-ups came out, it had a lot of Arsenal fan concerned.
And rightly so. It took only 34 minutes for everyone’s worries to come to fruition, after doing a backheeled kick, Saka was seen limping and then going to the ground. Clutching at his hamstring, the young winger looked to be in a fair bit of pain. Forcing Areta to make an early change which saw Saka come off the pitch looking in some discomfort.
Arsenal face off against Manchester City this weekend, which is arguably one of our biggest games of the season and a must-win if we look to challenge for the title this season. City have lost their last two games, with a surprising 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on the weekend.
Arsenal haven’t lost a game so far in the Premier League and sit at 3rd on the table, joint points with across town rivals Tottenham and only a point off City who sit at number 1. Having home advantage and being in fine form should play into our favour but after Saka was seen coming off against Lens, it’s got Arsenal fans worried he won’t be able to make the City match.
Saka who has been incredible so far this season, scoring 5 goals already, will be a huge loss if he isn’t fit enough for the weekend. With a lot of our attacks starting down the right wing, without that added pace in attack, we could be left open.
Did Arteta make a mistake starting Saka against Lens? Probably. But The Champions League is just as important as the Premier League and Arteta would have wanted to put out his strongest squad, which unfortunately for Arsenal fans has resulted in a possible injury for one of our best players. Injuries are a part of football, but considering Saka is one of our best players he does need to rest as much as he can.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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The concern of many fans, and here we see Saka limping yet again, but we don’t know the severity of the injury.
Did he have to start in the Bournmouth game? I think an argument can be made that he could have been rested, or brought off the bench in the second half if necessary.
We dominated that game, and I think that Saka could have used the rest and recovery and we had the talent to see off that Bournmouth side.
Many of us were scratching our heads when he took off Nketiah and left Saka on desipte the lead and comfortably controlling the match. Not until he got a knock did Arteta sub off Saka.
Why the fuss about depth if they are not used, especially if a player needs rest and recovery? Why insist Nelson is extended and then not give him a chance to perform?
Don’t like Nelson starting against Lens, don’t think he has enough quality? Then why resign him, why not upgrade if he is not trusted in games?
Vieira and Havertz look like luxery buys; we lack a true B2B midfielder and winger for competition with Saka.
Lots of questions about the match, selections, and performances, but don’t think the methodology and man management from Arteta will change.
Cries of “injuries” will now replace the cries of “lack of depth”, as the never ending excuses continue. Meanwhile, ESR still waits to compete, Nelson isn’t trusted, and Havertz is “showcasing” his abilities while our form continues to go up and down.
Durand, the case and situation put well. Only Mikel Arteta and Saka know the answer.
That 65M would have bought us Moussa Diaby(52M).
Arteta stated Saka was completely fine before match. He said he had a knock in the B’mouth game.
I 100% trust the physios cleared him to play. I’m also certain Saka himself has stated he’s fine to play.
If these are, as they likely are, true, why would Arteta bench him for CL match? Knocks are not serious, they are just dead legs, kicks and bruises, they don’t turn into injuries.
We all are just armchair fans, and some of them are saying Saka shouldn’t have played so why do these fans think they know better than the medical professionals and the player himself? Sakas injury (heel) didn’t happen because of his knock this weekend.
I am also certain the medical/physio team have the technology to track how recovered players are between matches.
Probably because of experiences related to players. Couple years ago he rushed Partey back and he suffered an injury setback soon after.
Physics and Arteta said Timber “was fine to continue” but you could see he wasn’t and soon was down and out with a serious knee injury.
People make mistakes, yet some deride other fans for asking questions.
Who is claiming they know better? Merely asking questions or suggesting options.
Man management is the weakness in Arteta’s management, I think is a fair statement. Freezing out, devaluing players, has he promoted any youth players? Can you say there is competition in the squad?
Questioning Wenger or Emery seemed acceptable, yet for some it is near heresy to question Arteta. How times have changed
👍Durand, even experienced managers make mistakes and Arteta is only 4 seasons into his front line management career. He is not above reproach.
Thing is if he plays Partey and he gets injured, it’s MA’s fault for rushing him. If he doesn’t, some fans here blame MA for freezing Partey out! This same contradiction happens still with KT/ESR, both KNOWN injury-prone players. MA clearly doesn’t want to play them excessively because these 2 have had serious injuries every single season. But if the manager plays them and they get injured, it’s MA’s fault!
And you can’t mention Timber’s injury as an example of anything. He tore his ACL, which is caused by sudden force trauma. There’s no anterior injury that will eventually turn into ACL tear. It is literally just bad luck.
Questioning is fine but you can’t act all innocent and say some of the comments here are just “mere questioning”. By the reactions here you can see they are not logical or consistent. They are overly negative, malicious or even hateful. If we are defeated or we just draw, people here fill find just about anything to blame it on MA. But sometimes a defeat is just defeat, end of, and no need to start blaming or spread negativity/toxicity.
We are 11 matches into the season with 8 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, and in my opinion we haven’t been at our best by no means, which makes our run even more impressive.
And oh I’ve given MA/Edu the stick I feel they deserve. One springs to mind is selling Balo and not giving him a chance to prove himself. Another was buying Havertz for the insane fee. Third was selling Martinez for peanuts. But those are in the past, I’ve moved on from that.
Not overpaying injury prone players?
How about Jesus and Zinchenko? Both injured numerous times already.
He rushed Jesus back and benched an in form Trossard, I think it was reasonable to question Arteta’s decision making.
Zinchenko also is injury prone, questionable fitness in the second half against Lens, yet likely he will start again against City.
I was consistent also when Wenger was managing, regarding Ramsey and Wilshire especially.
My comments are not malicious or hateful towards Arteta, so I can act “innocent” as you accuse me.
I am not responsible for those comments, I agree they are base and unnecessary. However, you can’t dismiss the point by lumping everything together.
Suffice to say we disagree, but I appreciate that we can be respectful towards one another, so I thank you for that.
You missed the point Mr. The call for Saka to rest started even before the start of the season. The credibility of the medical team should be questioned. Is it not the Medical team that certified Timber fit to play? The same certification has also been extended to Saka. I think one of the jobs if a manager is to protect his players and not wholely dependent on the medical team. Everyone but Arteta refused to accept that Saka needed rest.
His actions towards some players especially, those players he did not buy is seriously given credence that he wants to slowly but surely eased them out of the team either by frustration or injury.
No matter how crude this opinion may sound, the truth remains that Arteta is killing the team. The way he is going, top 4 will be a great achievement at the end of the season. By that time, the cries of lack of depth will be replaced by the cries of injury.
Why would he refused to trust his bench yet, your insist they sign new contracts? Why didn’t he go for Saka’s sub in the summer? And why would he play Saka against Bournemouth and Lence? So many Ys. Let’s hope Saka’s injury is not serious and also hoped that Manc will not whallop us this weekend.
🎯
I don’t care, you can have all the data you want but sometimes you need to listen to the body.it usually gives you warnings and you do not listen at your own peril.as for the decision making,the manager should have the last word and not the players.lastly, I’m confused,on one hand you have MA complaining about the fixtures/numbers of games and on the other hand he wants Saka to be able to play 70 games a season and barely rotates.am i missing something here?last season the lack of depth squad was given by many as the reason for the lack of rotation.this season we’ve added players,no one can deny now that this isn’t MA squad.so what is the reason/excuse this time around for not rotating?
Players are hunan beings not machines. If we have built a squad….then use the squad. The days of playing every game have gone, as the game is played at an intensity that makes that impossible now. Arteta is a very good coach but not the most humane manager. The best managers like Pep, rotate to keep their players safe from mental and physical burn out.
Yup.. rotate the damn squad . A tired Havertz compared to ESR who has played 9 minutes in the EPL ? Odegard , Saka … all players play superior football when rested .
Even machines need servicing
Funny but true!
It’s funny everyone blaming MA, and no one even mentions the medical team and Saka himself.
Saka would have only started after MA consulted him and the medical team first. MA’s decision is based on what he is told.
Ultimately it’s still down to the manager who starts, but it would have been an informed decision.
You said it in the last sentence, managers call end of story.
Yes, based on what he was told.
So clearly he was told Saka was fine to start by the medical team and and by the player himself. We know this, as no manager would risk their best player for a CL group game that wasn’t decisive, if said player was already injured.
And if we had lost the game, after MA had decided not to start his best player who was passed fit, one could only imagine the mental breakdown amongst Arsenal fans!
You are so right.
I could be mistaken but the manager should have the last words.even more baffling considering MA injury records as a former player, he’d think he’d be more careful and understanding.
I don’t understand all this talk to resting Saka, bla bla…
Serious teams play their best players in all important games as long as you are fit in play, sometimes even through pain barriers.
Saka is Arsenal’s best as Salah is to Liverpool; as Messi was to Barcelona.
Saka is the player other teams would like to see missing in Arsenal’s line up. So why should he be missing when he can play?
For me Saka should play every PL and CL game as long he is fit to play and the game is not a dead rubber
I think the reason why this is even a question is that people always need an excuse to blame someone for defeat, every time.
Imagine a match where we just are defeated by a better team who wanted it more. Nothing more to than that. Games like that don’t exist right? It always needs an excuse to blame the manager or a few of the players. Lens are not on paper better than us but they finished it better.
I also think we haven’t been as good this season as last but STILL we’ve won twice on Mickey Cup and stayed undefeated in the PL one point behind leaders. I think it’s impressive when you do that and DON’T look like you’re at your best.
I stated then and am stating now Saka should not be even on the team bus to Lens, not even a Sniff was one of my terms used.
Would have been better we lost with not necessarily a weaker side but a much change team selection.
You should ask Saka himself whether he wanted to stay back in London.
Truth is that top players want to play every game. That’s why Ronaldo would storm down the tunnel and eventually out of Manchester United just for being substituted in a game!
We can sit here and run our mouths the much we want. Those who take the decisions know better. I hope they just keep doing their job and ignore us the armchair coaches!
A resounding No would be the answer, surely he will want to be in the thick of things.
Unless there was a major injury concern beforehand it was quite right that he started.
This is the CL. Why wouldn’t we want him to play?
The injury was unfortunate but these things can happen in football.
I am surprised opinion is quite one-sided in supporting playing Saka. In fact, I am amazed by the unquestioned trust people put on medical professionals, many professionals at all. Next time, God forbid, you have your appendages taken off, make sure it’s the right one.
Case in point, Timer wanted to play on and the medical professionals allowed him to do so.
Never mind about the medical people, nor the players themselves, it is just common sense that people need to be tested to minimize wear and tear or the risk of exhaustion.
any professional, not ‘many’
I’m prompted to as this genuine question; pls why hasn’t Arteta promoted any Academy player to the first team on a permanent basis? At least as backups to some of the position (like tha of Saka) where we lack proper backup.
Even the likes of Pep and Klopp have done it with players like Rico Lewis, Cole Palmer, Courtis Jones etc.
Obviously some of the comments above are trying to defend the indefensible. What are you expecting from someone who is not 100% fit? The same twists and turns? A match winning impact? With such a long season ahead wouldn’t it have been smarter to have left Saka in the physio room and given him a few extra days to prepare for Manchester City. Couldn’t a fully fit Nelson have done a similar job as a 75% fit Saka?Yes, we underestimated Lens but wasn’t it also a case of a poor Arsenal making them look better than they actually are. Look at what Newcastle achieved with a clear plan and strong positive football, lead by a manager who clearly is learning quickly when it comes to European competition.
Having missed out on Raphinha , Arsenal did inquired about Moussa Diaby, why didn’t Edu followed up on the lad.
There was a great chance for a deal to be made as Xhaka was going in the opposite direction.
The former Leverkusen man has taken to the English premier league like duck to water, maybe only Declan Rice edges ahead in terms of signing of the summer, a great replacement for Saka while the young Englishman afforded some well needed rest.
Diaby does look good. Maybe there was interest, but its also possible Diaby wasn’t sold out being back up/rotation for Martinelli/Saka/Trossard.. We might never know. At Villa he can certainly start every week.
He should be available for the city game, no need to worry.
Bukayo Saka needs to play. He is at the moment of his career where he must decide his level of professionalism. No luxury or special treatment for him. It’s good for his character building and young physic. He is earning well and he must perform. He is still inconsistent and can do better. Injuries are unfortunate but he will learn. Too many English talents had been wasted by poor attitude, unhealthy lifestyle and over privilege. Captain Odegaard plays more, runs more, battles more and he is injury free. Now, he is the undisputed superstar, skipper and best paid player. You can’t get better example than that. I love this about Arteta and the club. The culture and the level of ambition will inspire future Hale End superstars.
I read an article somewhere comparing the game time of top flight players such as Sala and Haaland with Saka in support of playing Saka. Those statistics can be used as a reference, but at the same time it is quite irrelevant. The stats may be good for comparing machines, whereas we are talking about humans who have different physical makeup.
Whether to play Saka or not, is all down to common sense, down to risk management.
We certainly can cite singular, isolated examples to justify anything — there are cases where people who had fallen off a cliff and survived ! But is that something anybody in their right mind should do?
*OT
Big Ups to Newcastle United for their clinical and brutal dismantling of PSG in last nights CL match…Respect 👏🏾
Still waiting for his attacking sub of bringing a keeper on
Unless that was a lie of course ?
You missed the point Mr. The call for Saka to rest started even before the start of the season. The credibility of the medical team should be questioned. Is it not the same Medical team that certified Timber fit to play? The same certification has also been extended to Saka. I think one of the jobs of a manager is to protect his players and not wholely dependent on the opinion of the medical team or the player. It’s a fact that players will always want to play. But that does not make fit. Everyone but Arteta accepted the fact that Saka needed rest.
His actions towards some players especially, those players he did not buy is seriously given credence to the rumour that he wants to slowly but surely eased them out of the team either by frustration or injury. Smith Rowe, Nelson and so on are cases in point.
No matter how crude this opinion may sound, the truth remains that Arteta is killing the team. One step forward and two steps backwards. The way he is going, top 4 will be a great achievement at the end of the season. By that time, the cries of lack of depth will be replaced by the cries of injury.
Why would he refused to trust his bench yet, he insisted they sign new contracts? Why didn’t he go for Saka’s sub in the summer? And why would he play Saka against Bournemouth and Lence? So many Ys. Let’s hope Saka’s injury is not serious and also hoped that Manc will not whallop us this weekend.
Arteta as a human being needs the same sensitivities that all human beings need. Realising human beings are not machines, and also having some empathy and understanding of human frailties. Men are more complex than machines and you can’t simply oil them. Players get physical and mental burn out and the best managers, like Pep, don’t allow burn out and use their squads and rotation quite wisely and regularly.