It was a night of mixed emotions for Arsenal on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta lost another player to a hamstring injury, this time Gabriel Magalhaes, but the team picked up all three points at home to Fulham, and Bukayo Saka made his long-awaited return.
Moreover, the Hale End icon scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal just seven minutes after coming off the bench.
The importance of the Englishman’s return cannot be overstated, although it could spell trouble for one of the club’s leaders.
Saka's importance to Arsenal
It was on December 21st, away to Crystal Palace, that Saka injured his hamstring, and since then, the points gap to Liverpool has grown from just seven points to 12.
If that wasn’t evidence enough of the winger’s importance, then how about the fact that of the 13 league games he’s missed this season – including the away defeat to Bournemouth – the North Londoners have dropped points on six occasions.
Those included four draws against Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, plus the defeats against West Ham United and the Cherries.
Games
17
13
Wins
10
7
Draws
6
4
Losses
1
2
Points per Game
2.11
1.92
In comparison, the Gunners have dropped points in just seven of the 17 league games the mercurial winger has played this season, courtesy of six draws and one loss.
That means that when Saka plays in the Premier League this season, the Gunners have averaged 2.11 points per game, whereas when he has not played, they’ve averaged just 1.92, which is a significant drop.
In short, the fact he’s back in action is brilliant news for the club, but it could be less so for one of Arteta’s regular starters.
The Arsenal star who might be in trouble
So, there might be a number of you who assume the player who could miss due to Saka’s return is Ethan Nwaneri, and while that’s a perfectly logical assumption, it’s not.
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In fact, due to the teenager’s own impressive form this season, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 1153 minutes of action, and the fact he’s more than capable of playing in the middle of the park, we would not be surprised to see Arteta move him there for the game tomorrow, in place of Martin Odegaard.
Yes, the starter in danger is none other than the club captain, who may be an incredibly talented midfielder in his own right but has been undeniably poor this season.
For example, despite the fact he is supposed to be the creative hub of the team, the Drammen-born international has only scored five goals and provided eight assists in 33 appearances this season, which comes out to a disappointing average of a goal involvement every 2.53 games.
That’s a not-so-insignificant drop from his 22 goal involvements in 48 appearances last season, an average of one every 2.18 games, and worse yet, his actual performances have been far more frustrating this year, as he consistently struggles to make his mark on games.
Appearances
45
48
33
Minutes
3404′
4053′
2579′
Goals
15
11
5
Assists
7
11
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.48
0.45
0.39
Minutes per Goal Involvement
154.72′
184.22
198.38′
It was the same story on Tuesday, as the Standard’s Dom Smith awarded him a 6/10 match rating, writing that he ‘should have done better’ with the opportunities he received and that it just ‘didn’t quite happen for him’ on the night.
Fans are also starting to lose their patience somewhat, with content creator Rimedi arguing he’s “not at the level” at the moment while fellow content creator Alex Moneypenny claimed he was “falling out of love” with the Norwegian following another dismal showing.
Ultimately, Odegaard is an incredibly talented player, but he has not shown that this year, and with Saka back at right-wing and Nwaneri in red-hot form and capable of playing in attacking midfield, he might be in real danger of losing his place in the team.
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