Mikel Arteta and Oleksandr Zinchenko called for more protection for Bukayo Saka; Saka, who is the ninth-most fouled player in the Premier League, draws one card for an opponent every 10 fouls; The Arsenal forward has been shown a yellow card for every 4.8 fouls he has made
Image:Bukayo Saka shows his frustration against Aston Villa
Bukayo Saka’s red-hot form for Arsenal this season has seen him come in for a lot more attention from opponents, but is it now time for the England international to get more protection from referees?
Saka was on the receiving end of a number of particularly physical challenges in the Gunners’ 4-2 victory over Aston Villa last weekend with the winger visibly limping at times during the first half at Villa Park.
There were also signs of frustration from Saka after he was caught from behind by Philippe Coutinho towards the end of the opening 45 minutes. There was a reaction, a push to the chest of Coutinho and then Douglas Luiz was also shoved away by the Arsenal winger before Aaron Ramsdale and Jorginho intervened and took him away from the incident.
Saka, a cool, calm character normally, who has shown composure beyond his years this season, was frustrated, but is it a surprise when he is regularly targeted by the opposition for rough treatment?
Image:Jorginho and Saka during Arsenal’s win at Villa
‘Teams want to stop him’
“Teams are not stupid. They want to stop him,” said Mikel Arteta after the win at Aston Villa.
The 21-year-old’s form has been a key component of Arsenal’s success this season. He has nine goals and eight assists to his name already this season, so it is no wonder teams are trying to find ways of stopping him. Stop him and you can potentially stop Arsenal.
It’s something Arteta believes Saka will have to get used to.
“He’s going to have to deal with that, not every week, but every three days,” Arteta said. “It’s his game – teams are not stupid and they want to stop him. We need to protect him.”
Saka’s team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko went a step further.
“Bukayo is an unbelievable player,” the Ukraine international said. “All the full-backs from the other teams know he’s so dangerous, so they try to provoke him, tackle him and the referees should know this.
Image:Saka is the ninth-moist fouled player in the Premier League this season
“We can speak about (Lionel) Messi, Cristiano (Ronaldo), Neymar and players like this. The referees need to protect this kind of player, they need to look after them.”
Source: dailylifeworld.com
