Bukayo Saka was Man of the Match in Arsenal’s win over Everton, but Wayne Rooney thinks one mistake was made with regard to the winger.
Saka was Arsenal’s spark against Everton, stepping up when others in the final third were unable to match his level.
The Arsenal academy product didn’t get himself on the scoresheet, but his impact went way beyond that, completing more take-ons and having more shots than anyone else.
When Arsenal needed a source of inspiration, Saka was on hand to provide, even when the ball was not in play.
Wayne Rooney thinks Bukayo Saka should’ve taken Arsenal’s penalty against Everton, not Viktor Gyokeres
When Arsenal won a penalty in the 24th minute at Hill Dickinson Stadium, fans waited for Saka to stand over the spot.
Saka and Martin Odegaard handed the ball to Viktor Gyokeres, whose goalscoring confidence is low.
The Swede converted from the spot, but Wayne Rooney thinks it should’ve been Saka taking the penalty.
Fill the blanks: Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty vs Everton was the best penalty I’ve seen at Arsenal since ________.
On The Wayne Rooney Show, the panel liked that Arsenal moved away from their usual penalty taker taking the spot-kick, but the Manchester United legend disagreed.
“I disagree as a forward at 0-0, your penalty taker should be taking the penalty,” Rooney said.
“I think if the game’s done, the game’s won, then yeah. But you know, at 0-0, your penalty taker has to be the one. If he misses that, then there’s a problem.”
From Rooney’s point of view, Saka should’ve taken the penalty, being Arsenal’s assigned spot-kick taker, as there was a risk that Gyokeres’ lack of confidence could’ve been costly.
Rooney’s take might seem harsh, as the Arsenal squad were clearly just trying to pick up their struggling teammate, but, having five Premier League winners’ medals in his collection, the Man United icon spoke strictly pragmatically.
Gyokeres must be Arsenal’s permanent penalty taker
Rooney thinks Saka should’ve taken the penalty, but there’s a different argument to be had over Gyokeres here.
At first, it was assumed that Gyokeres would be Arsenal’s penalty taker, but Saka has continued the duty since, which might not be the most effective choice.
Who should be Arsenal’s full-time penalty taker?
Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are all more than capable
When it comes to penalty taking, there are few players better than Gyokeres, who hasn’t missed a league penalty in over two seasons.
Over his two years at Sporting CP, the Swede never missed a penalty in the Liga Portugal, taking 19 and scoring 19.
Having a striker who is an expert at converting penalties in his ranks, Arteta might be missing a trick by not assigning penalty duty to Gyokeres.
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