Play Saka here: Simple Tactical Shift to Supercharge Arsenal’s Attack and Surprise Opponents

By Danong

Arsenal has started well this season albeit a point behind league leaders Liverpool. For their impressive start to the season, one can't help but be confident that they can finally win the title.

After seven games, the Gunners are unbeaten, with five wins and two draws for 17 points. Getting results hasn't been easy though; they've had to fight for them, sometimes without their main players like Martin Odegaard and sometimes after picking up dubious red cards, but they've succeeded.

That being said, two Gunners, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, have really stepped up and made it their mission to see our North Londoners succeed.

Havertz has done everything to justify the club's choice not to buy a quality scorer this summer. The German striker has not only scored four goals in seven league games (6 goals in ten games this season) but he has also led the assault.

In Odegaard's absence, he has significantly stepped up and has been all action, going for every duel desperate to win and keeping the opposition on their toes.

Despite being Arsenal's No. 9, his performance almost gives the impression of a free role which helps to confuse the opposition.

On the other hand, Bukayo Saka has also been playing exceptionally well this season. Arsenal fans expected the #7 to step up his game and he has delivered.

He has also embraced the playmaker aspect of his game, utilizing his technical abilities and creativity.

He's now not only scoring goals but also creating assists and chances in abundance. 

Mohammed Salah generated the most big chances throughout the 2023-24 season, with 22. 

Saka has already produced 12 big chances this season. With 7 assists in just 7 games, aiming to match Thierry Henry's record 20 league assists.

In addition to opportunities and assists, Arsenal's star player leads the Premier League in shot creation chances (51) and it is impressive that he is doing so while playing on the wings.

But what if he had more space to exploit?

I'm not sure about you, but I believe Saka would be more vicious if given the opportunity to play in the inside channel, closer to the opposition's box.

The 23-year-old would outshine Cole Palmer as he'd surely produce more while playing as a RCM, making him "unplayable."

Havertz on the other hand tends to waste chances. Ben Foster stated on his Cycling GK YouTube channel: “For me, it’s four good chances to a goal for Kai Havertz”

So could the Gunners modify their system to move their top creator, Saka, closer to the opposition's box, where he has ample space to exploit without worrying about tracking back or being double-marked?

Saka could not only generate more assists closer to the opponent's box, but he could also easily score goals if he played a box-crashing role, allowing him to shoot more often.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka are demonstrating that they can complement one another. 

So why don't Arteta and his technical bench take advantage of this and occasionally play Saka in the inside channel, providing an element of surprise for opponents while also strengthening the Saka-Havertz bond on the pitch?

This alteration could even happen during games giving Arteta a confusion creating ploy especially in games where we are finding it difficult to score (say when the opponents adopt a low block).

This could lead to a reorganisation of the Arsenal midfield, with Saka once in a while assuming the role of RCM.

Declan Rice could shift to a #6 position while Martin Odegaard can assume the role of LCM where he could be more dangerous. 

While we would still prefer Saka to play at right wing in some games, Raheem Sterling or Ethan Nwaneri could undoubtedly fill in for him when he plays RCM.