Bukayo Saka knows a thing or two about setting up a goal in an Arsenal shirt but if there’s one man who knows it even better, it’s Thierry Henry.
Henry is the all-time leader in the G/A charts for Arsenal, while Saka himself broke into the top five this weekend.
Saka scored and laid a goal on a plate for Viktor Gyokeres in the win over Fulham.
And according to Henry, the piece of play from Saka to set the striker up was something every winger who plays the game can learn from.
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Thierry Henry praises Bukayo Saka’s dribbling fake
Most of the best dribblers in the world are impossible to stop when they’re in full flight and Saka was like that against Fulham.
He was brilliant and time and again, got in behind.
For the goal for Gyokeres, he put Raul Jimenez on his backside and it was this motion that Henry believes shows just how good Saka is.
“He did something very important to all the wingers out there. By lifting his arm as if he was going to cross the ball, he made it real,” Henry said on Sky Sports.
“And then that’s where Gyokeres wants the ball. Here, that right arm lift, he turns Jimenez into a break dancer from the 80s. Now, now you dislodge things and you can cross in between the defender and the goalkeeper and we all know what happens.
“That’s what we need to see from Bukayo. Dribble, go forward, be brave. Be the Bukayo you were before.”
Clearly, this is a little detail Saka has worked on his game over time that makes him an elite winger.
It’s interesting analysis from Henry too, as most players who play at an amateur level wouldn’t have even picked up on such a small motion that makes such a difference.
Saka is going to be Arsenal’s big hope in the final few games of the season in terms of creativity.
And with Man City drawing at Everton tonight, he has the chance to lead Arsenal to three victories and ultimately, the Premier League title.
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