Bukayo Saka shouldn’t be compared to Mohamed Salah, says Philippe Senderos

After 11 games, Arsenal are leading the Premier League table with Manchester City biting on their tails. Mikel Arteta’s men are four points ahead of the Citizens and fans are bracing themselves for yet another title race between the two sides.

A man that Arsenal will be relying on in attack is Bukayo Saka, who, by his standards, has had a slow start. The Englishman has scored three goals in nine Premier League matches so far but is yet to register an assist. His overall creativity has also not been at the level that Arsenal fans are accustomed to, but ex Gunner Philippe Senderos has backed him to get back to his best.

Saka’s struggles down to injuries and lack of game time

Bukayo Saka missed a few weeks of action this year because of a hamstring issue, and Senderos points to that as a major reason why his level has dropped.

“I think it is just down to consistency and playing games. Saka is the type of player that needs to play consistently. He has had a few ups and downs in terms of injuries, but I have no doubt that he is a top player.”

“He is one of the biggest threats Arsenal have. You can see that on the pitch. When he gets the ball, everyone is aware of what he can do. It is great to have him back and have him scoring. I am sure he will continue to do that.”

Senderos adds that Noni Madueke’s impending return will provide both competition and relief to Saka on the right wing and can help him raise the level of play.

“It always helps players to have competition, so being able to bring on Madueke and rest Saka could help. We know how much Saka has played in recent years, so after a while you do feel it and we have seen it with a couple of injuries already.”

“It adds depth to the squad to have Madueke and it helps with the competition.”

On the international front, England manager Thomas Tuchel has recently said that he believes Saka should be scoring more for the Three Lions. He’s currently priced at 15/8 to hit the back of the net against Albania this weekend, and if you fancy backing him to do that, you can use our free bet calculator to work out how much you could stand to earn.

Saka shouldn’t be compared to Salah

Another winger who’s struggling by his own standards this season is Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool talisman has rightly been considered the best in his position in the Premier League, and fans and analysts have used him as the measuring stick for Saka. Senderos, however, has dissuaded comparisons as the Englishman has a different style of play.

“Saka is a different kind of player from Salah to other wingers, but I consider him as a top player. Every time he gets the ball, something is happening.”

“He is not a selfish player. He can service his teammates, and when Saka is playing the other players are playing better. I don’t think we should compare him to other players, because he really adds a lot to the game.”

“Can he improve? Yes, but he is still young and will get more goals and assists in the future.”

Hard to avoid injuries with such an intense calendar

The Gunners are navigating yet another injury crisis as the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus are all sidelined. It’s a recurring problem for Arsenal in recent years, and Senderos blames the number of games top players have to play for both club and country.

“It is difficult to say how you can prevent a team from having injuries. It is always in this period of the season with international breaks, a lot of travelling and games, this combination doesn`t help.”

“A lot of teams are struggling with injuries, but hopefully the players will be back after the international break. The temperature drops as well and the body has to adjust, so it is very difficult to manage.”

For the Gunners, there is light at the end of the tunnel as a lot of the players mentioned above are set to make their returns after the international break. Senderos has also praised the recruitment done by Andrea Berta and the club, as it has helped in maintaining a high level of play.

“But Arsenal have the depth in their squad to cope with the injuries, and the quality doesn`t drop too much compared to the recent years where they didn`t have a replacement like they have today.”

“Obviously, the sporting director Andrea Berta came this summer and is working very closely with Mikel Arteta and the scouting department. They did a fantastic job in the summer. They brought in their main targets and I am really pleased with what I saw.”

“I really like their thought process and strategy around what they did. I think the club has worked very well to bring in their targets.”

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