Sport

Has Arteta struck gold with Saka as CAM?

Within just 27 minutes of Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth round clash with Wigan Athletic there was absolutely no doubt which team was progressing to the next stage. Indeed, the Gunners were never going to let a 4-0 lead slip through their fingers against an opponent struggling to keep their place in League One this season.

 

Arsenal were so comfortable in their latest FA Cup victory that it would be easy to pay no attention to the details of their performance. Within the performance produced by Mikel Arteta’s team, however, were some hints at how the Spaniard could set up the Gunners down the final stretch of the season.

 

Eberechi Eze was deployed in a deeper position that put them next to Christian Norgaard in the midfield double pivot. In this area, the England international was able to get on the ball more which led to him having a more direct influence on the match. Eze looked a good fit for the role.

 

Of course, Wigan gave Eze much more time and space than an opponent at Premier League or Champions League level ever would. That was an undeniable factor in his performance. Nonetheless, it was noteworthy that Arteta experimented in an attempt to squeeze more out of his summer signing.

 

Even more interesting was Arteta’s use of Bukayo Saka as a number 10. The 24-year-old played just 45 minutes in this position before Arteta decided to rest one of his most important players for future tests, but there was enough to suggest Saka could be deployed in this way again.

 

“Well, he’s more central, he’s closer to the goal,” said Arteta when asked what he liked about Saka as a number 10. “It’s a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly. He can interchange positions with the wide player as well, and he’s so good at picking those spaces. When he’s there, he can really hurt you with the ball.”

 

While Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League table, have a perfect record in this season’s Champions League, are still in the FA Cup and have a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City to look forward to, Arteta has sometimes struggled to get the best out of his team as an attacking outfit. It’s the biggest criticism of his coaching.

 

The recent return of Kai Havertz from a long injury layoff was a boost. The German international gave Arsenal a different dimension at the head of the midfield unit and was helping to get more out of Viktor Gyokeres, placing someone closer to the Swedish striker in the attacking third.

 

Havertz, however, has since suffered another injury which may have prompted Arteta to try something different in the centre of the pitch. Martin Odegaard is also struggling to stay fit and so Arsenal could use another option in the number 10 position, especially with so many high-stakes matches on the horizon.

 

Saka is still at his best when he has time and space to drive at opposition defenders on the right wing. He is one of the best wide players in the Premier League and is most effective when he can get on the dribble and make things happen at speed in the attacking third. His game is based around that.

 

With Noni Madueke in such good form as a winger, though, and other central operators either injured or struggling for form, Arteta could be emboldened to repeat his Eze and Saka experimentation against higher calibre opponents in the weeks to come. This might not be the last time the Gunners line up in such a way.