The business end of the Premier League season is well and truly here, and Arsenal are right in the mix to finally end their two-decade title drought.
Mikel Arteta's side put in a valiant performance to claim a point away at the Etihad last weekend and followed that up with a straightforward 2-0 win over Luton Town at home on Wednesday.
However, while the game against the Hatters was relatively easy, this afternoon's clash with Brighton & Hove Albion promises to be anything but, so Arteta should bring a player who starred against them earlier in the season back into the lineup.
Bukayo Saka's performance against Brighton last time out
The Gunners played host to the Seagulls in December last year, just a few days before their crunch game at Anfield, and while the 2-0 scoreline would suggest otherwise, it was an incredibly dominant display from the home side.
They opened the scoring through Gabriel Jesus in the 53rd minute before Kai Havertz finally added a second in the 87th minute to settle the Emirates' nerves. However, with 26 shots to six in favour of Arteta's men, it should have been a much larger score by full-time.
One of the stars of the game was Bukayo Saka, who was given an 8/10 for his efforts by GOAL's Matt O'Connor-Simpson, who wrote, 'Milner will be contemplating retiring after the way he was routinely embarrassed by Arsenal's No.7' – talk about complementary.
It wasn't hyperbole, though. In his 89 minutes of action, the Englishman registered an expected goals figure of 0.23 and an expected assists figure of 0.66. He took four shots, played three key passes, created one big chance, won four fouls, and even won seven duels.
Minutes
89'
Expected Goals
0.23
Expected Assists
0.66
Shots on Target
1
Shots off Target
2
Shots Blocked
1
Dribbles Attempted (Successful)
2 (1)
Touches
63
Key Passes
3
Big Chances Created
1
Fouls Won
4
Duels (Won)
10 (7)
It was a spectacular display, and while his rest during the week was well-earned, Arteta simply has to start the Hale End star this afternoon.
Bukayo Saka's season so far
While the Ealing-born superstar was seriously impressive against the Seagulls last time out, it wasn't his only brilliant performance this season. He might not be as flashy or easy on the eyes as Phil Foden, for example, but his numbers are simply inarguable.
In his 38 games this campaign, the "incredible" 22-year-old, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 16 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions. That translates to a goal involvement, on average, every 1.38 games, which is an outrageously impressive level of output for someone of his age.
Appearances
38
Goals
16
Assists
13
Goal Involvements per Match
0.76
It's not just in the Premier League that he's been thriving, either.
In his debut Champions League campaign, the "creative monster," as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored three goals and provided four assists in seven games, which works out to a goal involvement every game, or more impressively, every 78 minutes when taking into account his total of 545 minutes in the competition.
There is no doubt that the left-footed magician is one of, if not the most essential player in Arsenal's squad, as the second most effective attacker in the team, Martin Odegaard, has a combined goal and assists figure of 17, which is still 12 short of the Englishman's 29.
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Ultimately, Saka is the personification of this new Arsenal team, and while he needs to rest more often than he currently does, he has to play against Brighton this afternoon.
