It is highly unusual for Bukayo Saka’s number to appear as early as the 60th minute, especially in a game where Arsenal need a goal. Still, it wasn’t all that surprising against Bayer Leverkusen. The captain was having a hard time that night.
For an hour at BayArena, Saka was unable to find a breakthrough on Arsenal’s right flank, at times facing as many as three Bayer Leverkusen defenders. He completed only one of his four attempted dribbles. He won only two of his eight duels.
“I thought we needed something else,” Mikel Arteta said after the match. Saka wasn’t the only one in Arsenal’s attack who found it difficult, but substitute Noni Madueke made an immediate impact and his directness ultimately earned him a penalty.
“That’s his biggest quality, so it’s not surprising at all,” Arteta added in a press conference. “He was very brave to do it and is a real threat. It’s a credit to him to have a player of that caliber when we needed him and to step in like he did.”
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Sky Sports’ Nick Wright sums up Mikel Arteta’s mixed night between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen
Of course, the competition for places is exactly what Arsenal wanted when they brought Madueke on board. However, Saka’s subdued performance on Wednesday night came at a time when he has struggled to live up to the extremely high standards he has set in Arsenal’s campaign so far.
Saka’s goal against Brighton last week was invaluable, but it was only his second goal in 19 games. He has played in 39 games in all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing five assists, the lowest goal involvement rate of any Arsenal starter.
In fact, his productivity is nearly half that of last season, when his season was interrupted by a torn hamstring in December. The injury required surgery, leaving Saka in an unfamiliar environment and facing the first major setback of his career.
Arteta may be reflecting on the fact that Saka had been playing too much in previous years. His importance to the team was so great that he was rarely rotated, let alone replaced. But watching his performance, it was clear that he benefited from the rhythm and regularity.
Of course, Saka recovered from his injury. Arsenal’s belief that he is back to his best was evidenced by their decision last month to hand him a new contract that would make him their highest-paid player. But finding the same rhythm has so far proven difficult.
Saka suffered another hamstring injury in just the second week of the season and was forced to withdraw after scoring in the 5-0 win over Leeds. He injured his hip during warm-ups against the same opponent in January, forcing him out again.
Between the two he rotated in and out of the side and his workload was carefully managed. While no doubt a smart approach, it has left Saka in an unprecedented situation where he is unable to start consistently.
Tracking data from GeniusIQ shows no clear evidence of physical decline. Saka’s top speed this season is broadly in line with previous campaigns. In fact, he’s doing more sprints than last season, averaging 13.7 per 90 minutes, up from 12.8.
But his decline in performance goes beyond just goals and assists.
Saka is taking fewer shots and creating fewer chances compared to last season in the Premier League. He has about the same number of touches on the ball, but far fewer touches inside the opposition box. His dribbling has improved slightly, but he doesn’t move the ball forward as much.
Of course, it is important to bear in mind the context that this season has been a particularly challenging one for Premier League attacking teams. The number of goals scored in open play has decreased across the board. Deep blocks are prevalent. Space in the final third is under pressure.
Perhaps most importantly, Saka is less likely to isolate his full-backs. His one-on-one numbers in the Premier League have dropped by more than 10%, from 18.9 per 90 minutes last season to just 16.8 this season. Wednesday’s match at Bay Arena showed European opponents employing similar tactics.
It took Madueke, a winger with a different style to Saka, to break open the game, with his erratic, almost unpredictable and patchy decision-making in stark contrast to Saka’s clear thinking.
Maduke, who earned a penalty for Kai Havertz’s equalizer, is showing signs of adapting to his new surroundings, contributing directly to goals in six of the last nine games in all competitions. But Saka also had to adapt.
His chemistry with Martin Odegaard has been crucial to Arsenal’s attack in recent seasons, but the club captain was absent against Bayer Leverkusen. Due to injury, Saka and Odegaard have only started together in 16 of 47 games this season.
Roberto Andrić celebrates after scoring against Arsenal
Saka has yet to develop the same understanding as Eberechi Eze and Victor Gokeres, who he compared to Havertz up front. The same can be said about his relationship with right-back Julian Timber. Although he is now less popular than Ben White, he was perhaps even more important in the development of the 24-year-old.
White’s telepathy towards Saka extends to the way he passes to Saka, with Saka almost always being placed in a position to run into Saka rather than receiving with his back to goal. When told by Sky Sports in 2023, White said: “I kind of get it.” “I don’t really know why, but I look up and I know what he’s going to do and where he’s going.”
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Timber, a natural centre-back, has improved offensively in addition to being solid defensively, but he doesn’t seem to be able to adapt to the needs of the players in front of him as well as White.
“I’m there to help him get into a position where he can do what he’s good at,” White added. White has been plagued by injuries himself and has started just six games alongside Saka this season.
The good news for Arsenal is that they at least have a reliable replacement in Madueke as Saka looks to regain his rhythm and forge new connections. He was their difference maker at Bay Arena. He wants more involvement.
But helping their talisman, their most valuable player and the player who has probably contributed more than anyone else under Arteta, back to his best should be the manager’s priority.
