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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