Bukayo Saka Impresses During Full Debut for Arsenal
Unai Emery, the Arsenal head coach, praised Bukayo Saka, who is only 17 years of age, for playing with “a huge personality” during his full debut for Arsenal in their 1-0 victory against Qarabag on Thursday in the Europa League. Saka started on the left wing for the Gunners, showing plenty of confidence while testing the goalkeeper with an early strike at the edge of the box and attempted to take on several defenders with an impressive blend of skill and pace.
He had the ability to cap his performance with an amazing goal too when he received a gilt-edged opportunity to double the Gunners lead. However, his shot went almost directly towards the goalkeeper. Saka is regarded as the latest youngster who is impressing Emery in the group stages of the Europa League, and there’s plenty of other fantastic performances from players like Joe Willock, Emile Smooth Rowe, and Eddie Nketiah.
“They manage to show positive things in every match they play. And Saka played with a very big personality and good performance today.” Emery stated. “We chatted at half-time as they attempted to go against the opposition with a one-on-one assault.
“Not all the action that took place was great for us. However, Saka’s personality was extremely vital during the second half as he attempted to break lines and do one-on-ones with his superior quality. He managed to play with a huge personality for the full 90 minutes and provided a few good performances in the process. And that’s extremely important for his overall confidence.”
Laurent Koscielny
The winning goal for the Gunners was scored by Alexandre Lacazette in a match that was otherwise more noteworthy for Laurent Koscielny, the captain of the Arsenal team, who made his return after seven months due to an Achilles injury. Koscielny was removed from the match with only 20 minutes left in the game. However, Emery stated that its way too soon to determine whether Koscielny will be on top form to play against Southampton on Sunday, while the Gunners are facing a crisis at centre-back. Both Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are suspended from the match, while Rob Holding is out for the season due to a torn knee ligament.
“Today is a massive step for Koscielny, and we require to know how he feels after the match to determine if he is able to play on Sunday against Southampton,” Emery stated. “When he makes his appearance on the pitch like he did today, I believe every single Arsenal fan is overjoyed and well as the player.
“He has the opportunity to regain his confidence when he is out on the field and once he is back on form, we will continue to process on Sunday. However, I want to make sure he is ready before the match on Sunday.” The game against Qarabag was quite meaningless, but it was the perfect opportunity to start Lacazette and Sokratis as well as Ozil who is back on form.