Bukayo Saka is an extremely important factor for Arsenal even when he had to sit out for 3 months due to injury. The English striker is still the "Gunners'" top scorer and assister this season LINK IN 69vn
In total, Saka scored 22 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions, before tearing his hamstring in a 5-1 win over Crystal Palace last December.
Even as Arsenal struggled in the early months of the campaign, Saka still achieved the best figures of his career. An average of 1.08 goal involvements per 90 minutes puts Saka second only to Mohamed Salah among players in the Premier League this season.
The statistics are a reminder of how much Arsenal miss the 23-year-old. The Gunners fans will be very happy when Saka revealed his return on social networks with a bright smile during training.
Bukayo Saka's injury was the turning point?
Saka is not the only Arsenal attacker to be sidelined this season. Martin Odegaard was out of action for three months with an ankle injury last September. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz also had to end their campaigns with knee injuries in January and February. Gabriel Martinelli has just returned from a hamstring injury.
Taken together, injuries have caused heavy losses to coach Mikel Arteta's team. But there is no doubt that Saka's injury was the one that had the biggest impact. After a 5-1 victory over Palace at Selhurst Park, Arsenal narrowed the gap with Liverpool to 3 points. However, the gap has widened to 12 points since then in Saka's absence.
The England international scored or assisted 40% of Arsenal's goals before his injury. His performance reached its highest level under Arteta and underlined his huge influence at the Emirates.
Arteta has a squad full of key players but Saka is definitely at the top of the list as he is improving day by day.
Since Arteta's first match in charge of the "Gunners" in December 2019, Of has made more appearances, scored and assisted more than any other Arsenal player.
The 23-year-old also ranked highest among his teammates for shots and chances created during that period. Arsenal have dropped off significantly in attack while Saka is out, perhaps most notably from set-pieces
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Bukayo Saka still playing on the right wing?
Of course, Saka's return is not a comprehensive solution to Arsenal's problems this season. It may be too late to save their championship hopes considering the large gap with top team Liverpool. However, Saka's return will hold the key to Arsenal's hopes of a strong finish.
Of course, much will depend on how quickly Saka can regain his form. His injury occurred after four consecutive seasons of appearing in almost every Arsenal match. The three-month absence caused Saka and Arsenal to face an unfamiliar environment.
Previously, the player born in 2001 had never been out of action for more than a few weeks, so it is difficult to predict when he will regain his form. However, the "Gunners" are still determined not to rush to avoid Saka's injury recurring.
As expected, Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid on April 17 could mark Saka's return. The first leg, which took place a week earlier, was considered too early for this striker. What seems certain is that when he returns, he will take up his usual role on the right wing of Arsenal's attack.
Saka was used by Arteta as a left-back during his first months in charge and continued to play on the left wing during the 2020-2021 campaign. Since then, however, he has become a fixture on the right flank.
Arteta said last December, before Saka was injured, that he was "very open" to the idea of bringing him into midfield in the future. But considering Saka's proven effectiveness in his usual position, his immediate future certainly lies in the right wing.
"Hopefully Bukayo Saka will do more with the ball at his feet than he has done. He is getting closer, he is progressing and making very good progress. Let's see when we start bringing him into the team, how he reacts and how quickly he can recover" - Arteta said.