Mikel Arteta can expect some external criticism and some from quarters of the Arsenal fanbase if he plays Bukayo Saka against PSV in the Champions League tonight (5.45pm kick-off). The Gunners conclude their group stage campaign in Eindhoven but are already qualified for the knockouts.
No matter the result at the Philips Stadium this evening, Arsenal will be present in the last 16 in mid-February and early March. Despite that, and the fact Saka missed training yesterday with a foot injury, the winger has still travelled.
Arteta has been accused of overplaying 22-year-old Saka and was criticised by ex-Aston Villa player Gabby Agbonlahor and former Gunners defender Mikael Silvestre earlier in the season. The England international has battled several niggles this term despite returning eight goals and 12 assists in 22 matches.
Silvestre said: “He needs to be given some rest if Arsenal wants him to be there in March and April, which is when the team will really be competing in the important games for the title and in the Champions League.”
While Agbonlahor added: “You play all of these games, injuries are gonna happen. What does it say to the rest of the squad? Why have a squad of 22-23 players, whatever your squad is, if you’re just gonna keep playing the same team?”
That may be true but only William Saliba, Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes have played more minutes than Saka’s 1,758 this season. Last term, only Gabriel played more than his 3,744 minutes. The year before, Granit Xhaka was the sole outfielder with more than his 3,604 minutes.
Of course Saka – labelled a “special player” by Arteta last week before his 200th Arsenal appearance in the win at Luton – is crucial to the team. But Arsenal supporters understandably fear he will become burnt out from the amount of football he has played in recent campaigns.
He has also been a regular for England, racking up 32 caps for the Three Lions. Nobody his age or younger has more than that. Given his frightening level of talent, the last thing the north Londoners want is to push the player to the point of exhaustion at such a young age.
Tonight’s match therefore represents a handy opportunity to rest him, especially with some big Premier League games on the horizon. If he plays despite the circumstances, and the ample opportunity to give him a night off, Arteta can expect some pelters coming his way.
With Arsenal’s match in Eindhoven effectively a dead rubber, as they are also already guaranteed of top spot which means they cannot face any group winners in the next round, any involvement for Saka will prompt backlash.
Explaining the decision for Saka to travel despite Arsenal being through, Arteta said: “He is fine. With a few of them we decided to have another day of recovery just 48 hours before and he has played a lot of minutes so it wasn’t worth exposing him.
“We have five or six big injuries so we are already a bit thin. I don’t know in another context what I would have done but I also want everyone together with the mentality to win. I want to see that in their tummies tomorrow.
“The job technically is done but the job is not completely done. It is our duty as representatives of Arsenal to win every game and to give a big performance against a team that is going to make things very difficult as they have shown the past two years.”
