The Gunners were in charge for most of the game as Palace rarely threatened and simply cruised to the win in the end, led by doubles from both Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli. A goal from Leandro Trossard was sandwiched in-between.
There was to be no goal though for star winger Bukayo Saka. The England star had a quiet afternoon by his standards but still played the 90 minutes.
However, former Gunner Theo Walcott was unhappy with seeing Saka kept on and admitted he found it bizarre that Arteta kept the winger on.
Speaking on the game for the BBC, Walcott admitted his confusion at Arteta’s decision.
“As a former player I look at the bigger picture, and now wonder why Bukayo Saka hasn’t been subbed off yet. The sort of player he is, the fact he gets kicked all over the pitch most games, Leandro Trossard has just come off, but Saka with all the games he plays is still out there. It will be interesting to see what Mikel Arteta’s next change is,” Walcott said.
Arsenal need to manage Saka
Walcott has spoken before the game of Saka needing a rest and seeing him play the full 90 today has clearly rubbed him up the wrong way.
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Of course, Mikel Arteta will know his players better than anyone and at the end of the day, he knows what they need to do and don’t do.
Further, Saka himself might simply want to play every minute and Arteta might have left him on today to see if he did score to get the confidence back.
Either way, though, Arsenal need to manage their star man carefully. An injury to him could derail their season.
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