Arsenal fans have now made their feelings clear about the performance that Bukayo Saka put in against Manchester City on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka had a tough evening as Arsenal battled to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Whilst the winger worked incredibly hard defensively, he had nowhere near the kind of impact in the final third that has come to be expected of him. Whilst Ben White was hailed for his positive attacking play from right-back, on the same flank Saka struggled to make his presence felt.
When the hosts had plenty of the ball, especially in the first half, the 22-year-old did his defensive duty diligently, as he tracked back and sat deep, almost playing as an auxiliary full-back at times. However, when Mikel Arteta’s men had the opportunity to break forward, the Hale End academy graduate failed to make any kind of telling contribution.
Why did Bukayo Saka struggle v Manchester City?
There was perhaps an element of the attacker being short of 100% fitness for this match. Saka was a doubt to start in this game, having pulled out of the England squad with an injury in the recent international break. He certainly did not look as though he was firing on all cylinders.
Ultimately, the Gunners will feel that they came away from this crucial Premier League clash with a positive result. Arsenal were able to earn a point on the road against Manchester City for the first time since 2016, and they remain well and truly in the title race. The toughest test they will face during the run-in is now behind them, too.
However, Saka will be disappointed with his own performance. He was substituted in the 78th minute. Given how rarely Arteta hooks the England man, this speaks to the fact he was likely short of full fitness and was turning in a sub-par display.
Arsenal fans react to Bukayo Saka performance v Man City
After the final whistle, many Arsenal fans took to X to give their verdict on Saka’s showing. One supporter said he was “Absolutely trash this game.”
Another supporter insisted, “You know what we really need, a proper back up for him. He plays 99% of our games. We still want Saka to be playing at all cylinders for as long as he can.” Whilst another claimed, “He’s not fit at all, right from the first half.”
One fan chipped in with, “saka and foden went stinker for stinker.”
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
