Champions League learning + Reminder: Saka is special

Morning.

I watched some more Champions League last night, the 3-2 win for Barcelona against PSG. I think both of these teams are quite flawed in their own ways, but what is obvious when you watch them it just how technically accomplished most of the players are at this level. Then you see Ousmane Dembele score the kind of goal he did, and you realise that even though that was just his second goal of the season, these teams have players who are capable of extraordinary moments.

Former Arsenal target Raphina was on target twice for Barcelona, his second goal a sweet finish after a superb pass from Pedri found his clever run. Time between pass and goal, 2 seconds. That’s all it takes. You think you’re all right, then someone does something brilliant which allows someone else to do something and you’ve been punished.

Which isn’t to say I think what Bayern did to us on Tuesday night was the same as those examples, but both goals were a demonstration of how you have to understand the quality of the opposition when you get to this stage of the Champions League. A slight mix-up between David Raya and Gabriel, coupled with a pass that was 6 inches away from finding its target was enough for us to be punished.

For the second, we have to be more cynical and stop Leroy Sane before he can reach maximum speed. Mostly that was on Jakub Kiwior who got turned too easily, but if you let a guy like that run at speed into your box, chances are something bad is going to happen. These are things I’m sure these players understand already, but experiencing them in a game like Tuesday’s is how those lessons really get baked in.

It doesn’t look like much, but the Raphina goal above comes about when Gianluigi Donnarumma plays an imprecise ball into midfield. That’s all it takes. That’s all opposition of this calibre need. It’s why I think we can all understand Mikel Arteta’s obsession with control, because very often the most dangerous moments in football come when you’ve got the ball and then all of a sudden you don’t.

As for players who can produce those moments, can we just talk about our first goal of the evening? I worry, perhaps that’s too strong a word but I’ll go with it, that what Bukayo Saka does is taken for granted a little bit. That finish is top class, the look, the precision, the keeper has no chance. This is his first ever Champions League campaign, and in 8 games he has 4 goals and 4 assists. You don’t need me to tell you he is a player who absolutely belongs at this level, but averaging a goal contribution in every game hammers that home.

At the same time, I see the conversations, I see the discussions about whether or not he’s been quite at his best this season, and I get it. I think we’ve seen periods of form where his all-round game has been better, but is that something we need to look beyond now? I’m not saying it’s deliberate, and I do wonder if it’s a consequence of how other teams look to deal with him because they know how good he is.

If it is, it’s understandable. If it is, they also haven’t really been able to stop him. Last season he had 15 goals and 11 assists in all competitions; this season he has 18 goals and 13 assists, and there are still a minimum of 8 games left. Despite the increased focus there undoubtedly is on thwarting his effectiveness in the final third, he is delivering at a better rate than last season. Your eyes might tell you that he’s not as swashbuckling, or maybe even as exciting, but the numbers tell you he’s capable of end-product at a level above pretty much everyone else in the squad. I accept that penalties might be part of it, but they still have to be scored and he’s become a reliable taker which is an important skillset too.

I think he should have had a penalty the other night too, and if it had been given, I’d have 100% backed him to score it. Even at the end of 95 tiring minutes, having just been clattered by Neuer, I think he’d have tucked it away. I think part of how this team progresses is to find/sign/develop another player or two who can get to Saka’s level, and while we always covet what we don’t have, I think it’s important we appreciate what we do, and what he is doing at 22 years of age is extraordinary.

It might be a case that something special is required to win the second leg in Munich, and when I look at this Arsenal team, he’s the one I’d put my money on to provide that above the others. But that’s a bridge we can cross next week, the focus now will be on Sunday and Aston Villa.

Ok, I’m gonna leave it there this morning. There’s a new Arsecast Extra available for you below, recorded yesterday afternoon. Happy listening.