By Mikel Arteta has revealed the brutal message he delivered to Bukayo Saka before Arsenal’s 3-0 Champions League win over Lille, and the winger’s response could not have been better. After telling the media he wants Saka scoring “two or three” goals per game, Arteta went straight to his star man with a warning.
“After the press conference… I said ‘Bukayo, I just killed you in the press conference, good luck tomorrow,'” Arteta admitted. Saka just laughed, then came off the bench to tear Lille apart.
Bukayo Saka (Credits: BBC)
Illness, Then Impact
Saka was not even supposed to start. The 25-year-old had been battling illness and was not feeling well enough for the XI, but he was desperate to contribute. He got his chance as a substitute and delivered a game-changing cameo: assisting Eberechi Eze’s strike to make it 2-0 before rolling in Arsenal’s third himself with a confident one-touch finish.
It was the perfect answer to Arteta’s public challenge. The Arsenal boss has tweaked Saka’s positioning this season to get him closer to goal, explaining that more volume in dangerous areas means more goals. As Arteta put it, “That is where we need to get him. And if he misses the chance, so be it. At the end, the more volume we generate, the bigger the probability of him scoring more goals.”
The finish against Lille followed a missed one-on-one in Saturday’s Premier League win over Leeds, but Arteta sees a player trending exactly the right way. “He has been getting in great positions, getting shots, getting one-touch finishes and tap-ins,” the Spaniard said. “He could have had another four or five goals by now, easily.”
The Mentality Shift Arteta Wants
For Arteta, this is about more than one substitute appearance. He wants Saka thinking like a ruthless goalscorer every single game. “When he talks about scoring a certain amount of goals, he needs to be thinking about scoring a certain amount of goals per game,” Arteta said. “If that shifts, that mentality, he will get into those positions and score more goals.”
The numbers show why the demand is fair. Saka has hit 20 goals in a season just once for Arsenal, in 2023-24, and Arteta believes his talent deserves far more. This season he already has four goals in nine games, and his record in Europe keeps climbing: 19 goals in major European competitions, behind only Thierry Henry’s 42 for the club, with nine Champions League assists trailing just Henry and Cesc Fabregas.
His England form has been electric too, with five goals in his last four internationals including a double in the 7-0 Nations League demolition of Croatia. Saka refuses to reveal his personal targets, but Arteta is delighted with the trajectory. “He wasn’t feeling that good yesterday and today, as he had some sort of illness. He wasn’t ready to start but he was really wanting to contribute,” Arteta said. “He came on and made a huge impact and delivered with real quality.”
With six matches across all competitions this month and Arteta rotating his squad, starting with five changes against Lille, Saka’s evolution into Arsenal’s definitive match-winner could define their season.
Also Read: Bukayo Saka Answers Mikel Arteta’s Goal Challenge With Stunning Lille Cameo in Arsenal Win | Unai Emery Admits Aston Villa Miss 7,000 Fans Amid North Stand Rebuild: ‘We Must Play Better Football’
Source: BBC — read the full story there.
