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Published: April 29, 2021 5:44 pm
Last Updated: April 29, 2021 5:49 pm
Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka has assured that he is not ‘carrying Arsenal’, amid a difficult campaign for the club to date.
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Gunners struggling
Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge at the Emirates has of course proven far from smooth sailing.
After clinching both the FA Cup and Community Shield last time out, before following up with the summer additions of Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey, the capital giants were widely expected to kick on towards a return to the Premier League’s top-4 picture.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates with the trophy after winning the Heads Up FA Cup final match at Wembley Stadium, London. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
The months since, however, have seen quite the opposite unfold.
After surrendering their FA Cup crown, the north Londoners have since slipped to the disappointing depths of mid-table in the English top-flight, behind the likes of West Ham, Everton and Leeds.
‘A team sport’
Such woes, of course, have come amid sub-par performances on the part of a host of Arsenal’s stars.
The likes of Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have largely disappointed to this point in the campaign, as some of the most high-profile members of Arteta’s squad continue to let the Spaniard down when it matters most.
On the flip-side, however, has been the continued emergence of burgeoning young talent in north London.
Emile Smith Rowe, for example, has exploded onto the first-team scene since finally being handed a consistent chance to impress late last year.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 29: Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal at American Express Community Stadium on December 29, 2020 in Brighton, England.The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
None, though, has proven more impressive than Bukayo Saka.
The 19-year-old has proven, by some distance, the Gunners’ most consistent performer in 2020/21, with his haul of 7 goals and 8 assists across all competitions doing Saka’s true impact little justice.
In fact, so standout has the English international looked at times, that some have gone as far as to suggest that Saka is ‘carrying’ Arsenal on the pitch.
As outlined above, however, the versatile wide-man himself has today moved to put to bed such claims.
Speaking in an interview with Standard Sport, Saka was drawn on his ever-increasing role at the Emirates, to which he responded:
‘I don’t feel pressure from external voices. I’ve always wanted to have the courage to play, to be the one that’s visible when everyone’s heads are down.’
‘I don’t think that I’m the player that’s carrying Arsenal. In football, it is 11 men. I don’t think that I can do anything just by myself. It’s a team sport.’
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 33 | 45 | 77 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 33 | 29 | 67 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 33 | 22 | 62 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 33 | 20 | 58 |
| 5 | West Ham United FC | 33 | 10 | 55 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 33 | 16 | 54 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 33 | 18 | 53 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 32 | 4 | 52 |
| 9 | Leeds United | 33 | 0 | 47 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 33 | 7 | 46 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 32 | 9 | 45 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 33 | -13 | 41 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 32 | -20 | 38 |
| 14 | Burnley FC | 33 | -15 | 36 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 32 | -18 | 36 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 33 | -18 | 36 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 33 | -6 | 34 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 33 | -18 | 27 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 33 | -34 | 25 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 33 | -38 | 17 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 21 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 15 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 14 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 14 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 13 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 10 |
| Wood, Chris | Burnley FC | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 10 |
| Iheanacho, Kelechi | Leicester City FC | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 9 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 9 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 6 |
| McGoldrick, David | Sheffield United FC | 0 | 7 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 0 | 7 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 7 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 7 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 6 |
| Alioski, Ezgjan | Leeds United | 0 | 7 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 7 |
| Andersen, Joachim | Fulham FC | 1 | 6 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 8 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 6 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 6 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 6 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 6 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 6 |
| Silva, Bernardo | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| McNeil, Dwight | Burnley FC | 6 |
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