Author Archives: keenosafc

Southgate should send Saka to the beach

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Bukayo Saka’s work load over the last 12 months has been huge

Even without Arsenal being in Europe (and getting knocked out early of the FA Cup), he has played over 4,000 minutes for club and country.

With Covid19 extending the 2019/20 season, a condensed 2020/21 season and England going all the way to the Euro’s final, it has been a non-stop 2-years for the youngster.

In the last 10 games of the season for Arsenal, he went off the boil completely. He looked exhausted and was not playing to the high standard he has set himself.

And Saka is not the only one.

England’s to limp performances in the post-season glorified friendlies are due to fatigue.

Many of those involved, like Saka, have played non-stop football over the last two years.

The Premier League is the fastest, toughest league in the world. There are no “weekends off”.

38 tough games, 2 cups, European football and international duty. No other league across Europe has this work load. So it is no surprise that Premier League – and English players in particular- are looking well off the pace.

You have to wonder why these games are being played. And why Gareth Southgate has made the decision to add to his players work load with a winter World Cup.

Surely it would have made more sense for him to give his big players the summer off. An extra 3 weeks rest.

That would be to the benefit of the national side come November when players head of to Qatar for the Sportswashing World Cup.

Instead, Southgate is flogging the same old players – from Saka to Sterling, Kane and more. What can Southgate really learn about these guys?

He will only be moaning in November when players join up with the national team and are already shattered.

And the concern with Saka is that at 20-years-old, he is being overplayed.

He played too much for Arsenal last season as Mikel Arteta lost faith in Nicolas Pepe and kept faith with his strongest XI as we chased Champions League football.

Arteta and Edu will look to rectify that this summer by buying some cover and competition for Saka, reducing his work load.

But Southgate also needs to take responsibility. There is no reason for him to be playing this summer.

We have seen with other young break through players – Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney – that over plying them at a young age ended then being on the decline in their mid-late 20s rather than at their peak.

Look at Manchester United with Marcus Rashford.

At just 24 he has already played 350 games for club and country. Is it any surprise he has completely gone off the boil? Lost his sharpness?

If the average Premier League player usually ends up with around 5-600 senior appearances by the time they retire, he is potentially 2/3’s of his way through his career at just 24. And it shows.

Saka has played 100 games for club and country over the last 2 years. That is too much for a young man whose body is still growing.

Arsenal should do more to protect him. To rest and rotate him.

But he should also be on the beach right now. Watching Love Island. Drinking a virgin daiquiri. Not plying glorified friendlies.

Over playing Saka will rob him of a full career, rob Arsenal, and rob England.

Keenos

Changes needed if Gnabry joins Arsenal

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Speculation is increasing that Serge Gnabry is set to return to North London after his temporary stint in Germany.

The lad clearly has quality and will improve us. However to accommodate him will require changes.

Change in Gnabry

Serge Gnabry has played the majority of his career – from youth through to senior – on the right hand side.

But this side is arguably Arsenal’s strongest with Bukayo Saka outside, Martin Odergaard inside and Takehiro Tomiyasu in behind.

If Arteta decides to keep those relationships that he has spent over a year cultivating, it will mean that Gnabry will have to play on the left.

This will mean Gnabry will have to change his game. Cutting inside on his right more rather than going round the outside.

Cutting inside means he will be running into more crowded areas, so his sharpness on the ball and decisiveness will be have to be much more clinical.

No longer will it just be “get round the outside of your full back and put a ball in”.

It is a change that he should be able to do. But one which might take some time implementing.

Change the tactics

The alternative is you put Gnabry in his strongest position – wide right – and move Saka to the left hand side.

This is a move that Saka will not have a problem with. He has played across the 3-behind-the-striker throughout his career. But it will result in a change of tactics.

At the moment, Arteta (like much of the top level teams) play with inverted forwards; a right foot on the left and left foot on the right.

This increases the attacking threat in the middle of the park whilst allowing players to drive into the box on their strongest foot.

They then get their width from the full backs bombing forward. It is their job to provide the crosses.

Saka left and Gnabry will change all of that as both will naturally hug the touchline.

The benefits are this will create width – widening the pitch – but at the sacrifice of creativity and attacking threat inside.

Now this could be accommodated by the signing of Youri Tielemans.

That would then give us Saka and Gnabry playing either side of Tielemans and Odergaard.

It should make the middle of the pitch less crowded with the more centra midfield duo being that threat cutting in.

However the threat of Saka and Gnabry would then be diminished – especially if we do not have a hulking centre forward who can get on the end of their bombardment of crosses

One thing signing Gnabry will do is give Gabriel Martinelli a new role in the team.

Whether you play Gnabry wide right or wide left, Martinelli goes from starter to the bench.

Now this is not a bad thing – competition and squad depth is what every top team has. But it has also likely impacted on Edu’s recruitment decisions.

Before the end of last season, most of us were in agreement that we needed two new strikers.

With Eddie set to sign a new deal, Gabriel Jesus will probably be our only signing.

That will leave some underwhelmed.

But if Gnabry comes in, Martinelli then becomes an extra option down the middle.

If you take the front 3 as a group, we then have: Jesus, Gnabry, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah, Smith Rowe. 6 players for 3 positions.

Anyway. Just some Thursday thoughts (written on a Monday whilst I navigate the tube strikes).

Keenos

Saka Superior to Bang Average Bowen

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I am not really sure where the debate between Bukayo Saka and Jarrod Bowen has snuck up from, but it all feels very futile.

It is being driven by West Ham fans who did not realise “WE ARE MASSIVE” was irony.

My feeling is these fans became too big for their boots because they were top 4 for a bit before falling away to 7th have now developed this argument in an attempt to stay relevant with the Big 6 of the Premier League.

The reality is, when it comes to Saka v Bowen, there is only one winner.

Bowen is 25-years-old and, grant, he had a good season last year. He is a decent player but certainly not top class.

The fact West Ham fans compare their man to someone 5 years younger is frankly embarrassing.

Saka is just 20. Comparing Bowen to him from a West Ham point of view is just a little creepy. Can they not compare him to someone his own age?

Bowen is entering his peak years. He will not improve much more than where he is now.

All the debate does is further highlight how good Saka is. The fact that people are comparing him to someone 5-years his senior shows how advanced he is in his career.

Whilst Arsenal fans talk about Saka progressing to be on the level of your Mo Salah’s, your Sadio Mane’s; West Ham fans talk about Bowen playing to the level of Saka. The two are just not comparable.

Lets role the clock back a few years.

At 20-years-old, Bowen was playing just 7 games for Hull city in the Premier League. Saka is closing in on 100.

What Saka is doing now, and achieved as a teenager, it took Bowen until his mid-20s to do:

By the time Saka reaches 25 – another 5 seasons time – I would expect him to be closing in on 100 top flight goals. Bowen has just 21.

This morning Saka has been linked with both Liverpool and Manchester City. That is testament to his ability that the two top teams in the league want him.

Meanwhile Bowen is probably going to end up at Newcastle.

So lets stop the debate now. Lets not even bother having it.

Bowen has had a good season and deserve his place in the England squad. He is good cover for Saka.

If you are looking for a bit of an indepth read this morning, I would suggest having a gander over this from the brilliant Swiss Ramble:

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Keenos