How Arsenal could cope without Bukayo Saka: Transfer market, forgotten man and an experiment
Share:
It was back in September when Arsenal fans feared the worst after pictures of Martin Odegaard on crutches emerged - and now history is repeating itself with Bukayo Saka. Saka was seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches on Saturday after the thumping 5-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The England winger had pulled up midway through the first half when crossing the ball and immediately signalled to the bench that he had a problem. Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards he was concerned for Saka, who before the weekend had already suffered two hamstring injuries this season.
This third one appears the worst yet, with Arteta due to update on his fitness at a press conference on Monday afternoon. Losing Saka would be a hammer blow for Arsenal ahead of a vital period of the season. Here, Standard Sport looks at how Arsenal could cope without the 23-year-old….
This was how Arteta solved the problem after Saka limped off on Saturday. Leandro Trossard came on and played on the left flank, with Gabriel Martinelli moving to the right. It worked and Arsenal eventually ran out comfortable winners. Martinelli was particularly impressive and scored his first goal of the month, with Trossard playing a key role in the move.
Martinelli has traditionally played on the left, but he can operate on the right and a switch to that side could be beneficial for him. The Brazilian has struggled for form this season, however on Saturday he almost seemed to revel in the way his task was simplified on the right. His task was straightforward - beat his man and cross the ball, or attack the back-post when Arsenal were coming down the left.
