Arsenal are now back in the mix for the Premier League title, having beaten Liverpool in a crucial six-pointer on Sunday, but there are still issues which need ironing out.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had a somewhat perplexing campaign. Some may argue that they have not been at their best compared to last season’s performance levels, but underlying stats would suggest that they are now better defensively and have more control of games.
Nevertheless, there have been several somewhat minor problems highlighted over the course of the season which Arteta will need to fix if his side is to lift major silverware this season, and he may now need to follow Pep Guardiola’s example over one of his key players.
Mikel Arteta should follow Pep Guardiola path over Bukayo Saka
Journalist Sam Dean has now highlighted the difference in senior minutes played between Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden.
Both England Internationals are key players for their sides, with both graduating from their respective club academies as world-class prospects.
The pair have near-identical stats this season, with Saka registering eight goals and eight assists in 22 league games, with Foden notching up eight goals and seven assists in that time.
Dean has now highlighted on X that whilst Foden and Saka have both made similar numbers of league appearances, with the City star appearing 151 times compared to Saka’s 157, Saka has played significantly more minutes despite being marginally younger.
Mikel Arteta needs to rotate Saka more
Foden’s increased rotation, both in terms of coming in and out of the starting XI, as well as being substituted earlier in games at times, means that he will be more fresh in the second half of the season, and could make an increased impact.
Saka meanwhile, plays most minutes in every game without fail, and could be in danger of burnout as the title race heats up in the coming months.
Whilst Foden has had better players to rotate with such as Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva throughout his career, Arteta’s insistence on using Saka more may cost him further down the line.
With Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson both capable of playing on the right wing, Guardiola’s usage of Foden may show Arteta the benefit of managing Saka’s minutes more carefully.
Some may argue that Saka is simply too good to drop, but there certainly are occasions where Arteta should make the difficult decision to withdraw him earlier in games where his side are comfortably leading.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
