Is Robert Pires wrong about Bukayo Saka? Arsenal v Spurs is becoming one of his favourite games

The Gunners are still unbeaten in the Premier League this season with two wins and one draw. This is the biggest match so far, and Arsenal go into it with a bit of a selection problem.

Adding on to Declan Rice’s suspension, Martin Odegaard picked up an injury over the international break. As a result, Kai Havertz is being tipped to drop deeper into the midfield. That will mean a lot more pressure on Bukayo Saka to provide in attack.

The Englishman has been directly involved in four goals so far this season, scoring one with three assists. But he has had his big-game performances questioned by former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires.

“Bukayo still lacks a certain level of consistency and experience, especially in the big games,” Pires told Wettbasis.

“Perhaps this season, especially in the Champions League, he will show a more convincing face than last season when it counts.

“For example, in my opinion Jeremy Doku from Manchester City is a bit better because he is technically stronger, has better dribbling skills and is more imaginative.”

So, does Pires have a point?

Bukayo Saka’s derby day delights

Saka heads into this weekend’s game against Tottenham in fine form in this fixture. Overall, the Englishman has scored three goals in nine league games against Tottenham, but his influence has improved in recent years.

In his first league appearance against Tottenham, Saka was left-back, and he was still finding his role in this Arsenal team in 2020/21. But in 2021/22, Saka scored and assisted in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Tottenham at the Emirates. A year later, there was an assist in a 2-0 win, before he put Tottenham to the sword home and away last season.

In the first meeting of the season, Saka put Arsenal 2-1 up from the penalty spot, but that wasn’t his only opportunity. The Englishman had three shots in total in the eventual 2-2 draw, with two hitting the target, both the most among Arsenal players.

Saka created the most chances in the match too, with four in total and an xA of 0.29. He had 59 touches, the second-most among Arsenal players, had 11 passes in the final third and completed two take-ons.

It was a similar showing in the return fixture. Another goal against Tottenham in April saw Saka break his personal best for goals in a Premier League season, taking his tally to 15. He also became the first English player to score home and away for Arsenal against Tottenham in a league campaign since Ian Wright in 1993/94.

He once again led Arsenal for shots and shots on target with three and two respectively. No other Arsenal player had more than one shot. Saka had five touches in the opposition box, and 61 overall, more than any other Arsenal player. He did only create one chance this time, but he was taking up more responsibility for attacking the goal.

Taking on the Big Six

Looking at the rest of Arsenal’s games against the Big Six last season, Saka only failed to register against Manchester City. But, Saka missed one of those games due to injury. In the other, Saka was restricted with no shots or chances created as Man City and Arsenal played out a goalless draw.

Saka also failed to score in either game against Manchester United and Chelsea, but the Englishman did assist. Against Man Utd there was one assist in a 3-1 win at the Emirates near the start of the campaign. And it was a crucial assist, setting up Declan Rice to put Arsenal 2-1 up need into injury time.

The Englishman had three shots in that game, hitting the target once, and six touches in the opposition box. But this was all about his creativity. Saka created give chances in total and completed 91.4% of his passes. No player for either side created more chances than Saka. In the return fixture, a 1-0 win that kept Arsenal in the title race, Saka took two shots and created three chances, again more than any of his teammates for the latter. Saka has also scored three goals in nine games against Man Utd in total, including home and away in 2022/23.

Chelsea are Saka’s least favourite opponents of the Big Six when it comes to scoring in the Premier League. In 10 games against the Blues, Saka has managed just two goals. But he has three assists in his past four appearances.

Two came last season, one home and one away. Again, one was crucial to the result, setting up Leandro Trossard’s equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal having been 2-0 down. Arsenal struggled at times in the game at Stamford Bridge, but Saka still came out on top among his teammates with three chances created.

When Arsenal welcomed Chelsea to the Emirates, they pulled the Blues apart. The Gunners had 27 shots in total, with Saka having four of those. He had nine touches in the opposition box, and created five chances. While that wasn’t the most in the match, it was his joint-best in a single game last season. Saka created five chances in a single game four times last season, including once against Chelsea and Man Utd.

And, finally, Liverpool. Across all competition, Saka has struggled slightly with three goals in 13 games. But when you focus solely on the Premier League, that breaks down to three goals in seven — actually coming in his past four.

Last season there was the opening goal in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in February, when he was focussing on shooting. Saka didn’t create a single chance but did have three shots, with no Arsenal player managing more. In the first fixture, Saka had two shots and created three chances, putting in eight crosses.

He may not be single-handedly carrying Arsenal to results in these big matches, but he’s certainly making his mark.