As Arsenal prepare to face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday night, winger Bukayo Saka has address the club’s recent faltering form, insisting that the Gunners can still compete for trophies. Mikel Arteta’s men have played three Premier League games without a win and recently saw their sporting director Edu Gaspar. Notwithstanding, the English winger remains confident in the team’s quality, stating that the season is way too early to call.
Saka has stepped up into Arsenal’s captaincy role since Martin Odegaard’s absence due to injury. He described his leadership style as leading by example, although he acknowledges that speaking up to contribute to team talks are sometimes necessary. He said,
“I’m just part of the leadership group and I wear the captain’s armband when Martin is not around and he’s back now which is going to be a big boost for us. But when I do have the armband on me, I’d say I’m more of a lead by example kind of guy.
“But at the same time there’s a responsibility to talk sometimes and in the team talks I have to be the one to speak up as well and I do my part in that as well.”
Speaking on the criticisms the team’s recent performances have attracted, he maintained the need to remain calm and focused, pointing out that panic would only worsen the situation and deplete the team’s confidence. He said,
“Obviously there’s a lot of noise around the club and we lost two games and drew another one. But at the same time it’s important to stay calm and doing all of these things can at the same time create more calm. We don’t want to create any panic and chaos and I don’t think we need that right now.”
The England international also expressed excitement for Arsenal’s upcoming Champions League clash against Inter Milan at the San Siro. He relishes the challenge of high-profile matches and believes they bring out his best performances. Saka expressed his pleasure at Arsenal’s unbeaten record in the Champions League so far and is determined to maintain it.
