Saka the victim doesn't wash with Gerrard but Arsenal still motor on
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring the decisive goal at Villa Park.
AS the first player born in the 21st century to play in the Premier League, it could be argued Bukayo Saka is the epitome of the modern-day player.
He has the tricks and the flashy boots and has already come through a ‘rite of passage’ following the unjust hate sparked by his penalty miss for England in the Euro 2020 final shootout.
But given the way the game has become a less contact sport, one thing the 20-year-old Arsenal forward is perhaps not so used to is being tackled.
Saka was the matchwinner again on Saturday at Villa Park as he took his tally into double figures in all competitions this season. Yet he was reminded of the sort of physical confrontations that are still part and parcel of the game via a Tyrone Mings challenge that proved to be the enduring talking point.
Mings earned a yellow card for the challenge but Arsenal players thought it should have been red. The referee got it right.
Saka received another reminder of what the game is about from Steven Gerrard, the Aston Villa manager, afterwards. Gerrard, 41, was one of the finest midfielders of all time for Liverpool and England, and not one to shirk a tackle.
“Listen, it’s part of the game. The last time I checked, it wasn’t a no-contact sport,” said Gerrard. “I think tackles are allowed, physicality is allowed, aggression is allowed as long as it’s fair. He’s a good player – an outstanding talent. I love him. But he can’t complain about that side of it, that’s football.
“I’m sitting here now with screws in my hips. I’ve had about 16 operations. I’m struggling to go to the gym at the moment. That’s all on the back of earning a living in English football. He’ll learn and he’ll learn quickly.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta supported claims Saka’s complaints to the referee to be better protected. But as a former winger himself, the Spaniard knows a defender has to have a right to try to win the ball.
Once he knew Saka was OK – the youngster was withdrawn with a sore hip sustained during the Liverpool game three days earlier, as well as a ‘bloody ankle’ from the Mings challenge – Arteta was rightly more concerned as to the impact of the scoreline.
The result – Arsenal’s fifth consecutive away win in the league for the first time since May 2015 – put them four points clear of Manchester United in fourth place. The Gunners are in a rich vein of form; this was their sixth win in seven in the Premier League and on this showing alone, they look difficult to stop.
They will return from the international break to fixtures against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton before more difficult looking tests against Chelsea, West Ham and Man Utd. Under Arteta, Arsenal have a steelier edge, and they certainly look more reliable defensively than Ralf Rangnick’s side.
Gone are the defensive frailties Arteta has worked so hard to eradicate; it is a testament to his work and that of his staff that the Gunners have yet to concede from a corner this season.
“We have 10 games to go and what we did yesterday and today is irrelevant, it’s what we do tomorrow, how we prepare and how we can improve the team and play better to win more games,” said Arteta.
“We need to win more comfortably because when we were as dominant as we were today, we need to score the second and the third goals – and we’re not there yet.”
While the work of Arsenal’s back four cannot be underestimated, the contribution of Thomas Partey in front of them on Saturday was immense.
The Ghana midfielder showed more than a passing resemblance to Patrick Vieira at times with his power both defensively and offensively.
“In terms of consistency, Thomas has played three games in six days which he hasn’t done for a while since he’s been here,” said Arteta. “He played at his best level for three consecutive games and for the team, that’s a big plus.”
By contrast, Villa are suffering something of an inferiority complex as Gerrard tries to put his stamp on things. This was their 10th defeat in 12 this season against the current top eight and they failed to produce an on target effort until Philippe Coutinho’s free kick with the last kick.
“We need to be more positive and have more belief from the first whistle, and that will give us a better chance of taking points off the teams above us,” added Gerrard.
“But we have to respect there’s a gap at the moment.”
Martínez 5; Cash 6, Konsa 6, Mings © 6, Young 5; Ramsey 6 (Bailey 69 minutes, 6), Douglas Luiz 5, McGinn 7; Buendia 5 (Traoré 69 minutes, 6), Watkins 6 (Ings 82 minutes, 6), Coutinho 5.
: Sanson, Chambers, Olsen, Chukwuemeka, Iroegbunam, O’Reilly.
Leno 7; Cédric Soares 7, White 7, Gabriel 7, Tierney 8; Ødegaard 7 (Holding 88 minutes, 6), Partey 8, Xhaka 7; Saka 8 (Pépé 69 minutes, 6), Lacazette 7 (Nketiah 77 minutes, 6), Smith Rowe 7.
Tavares, Sambi Lokonga, Elneny, Okonkwo, Swanson, Hutchinson.
: Andy Madley 6/10
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