Paul Merson is baffled that ‘special’ Arsenal player doesn’t get the credit he deserves
It’s the big one. Arsenal’s north London derby showdown against Tottenham. It’s the one everyone has been waiting for.
There has been a lot of build-up to the match because of the international break and extra subplots have evolved.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal won’t exactly be playing this game with their strongest XI. One thing is for sure, Declan Rice is suspended after his red card against Brighton.
Many are also wondering if Martin Odegaard will play against Tottenham after he picked up an injury on national duty for Norway.
Either way, Paul Merson highlighted how you should ‘love’ playing against Tottenham as an Arsenal player and you shouldn’t be at the club if it isn’t the case.
These games mean the most to the fans, there is no doubt about that, but there are some players who are in that boat as well.
Emile Smith Rowe is no longer at Arsenal and Reiss Nelson is out on loan, so there is one man standing in this position, but Bukayo Saka is the only boyhood fan who is expected to feature in the north London derby on Sunday.
You know this fixture means more to the 23-year-old than anything else and he will be aiming to score at Tottenham’s stadium in back-to-back games.
If Saka nets a brace, then that’s 50 Premier League goals for the forward and Merson has hailed the ‘amazing’ figures he has put up as a player, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (14/09/24 at 1:20 pm).
Given the quality in the Hale-End star’s boots, you wouldn’t put it past him to score the goals needed to raise his bat and on such an occasion.
But Merson feels that Saka simply doesn’t get the credit he deserves and he doesn’t understand why because he is always a ‘seven out of ten’.
Bukayo Saka pushing for 50 Premier League goals
“Absolutely, for a winger as well and he plays out on the wing,” said Merson on Saka closing in on 50 Premier League goals.
“Amazing. He puts up figures. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves, if I am being honest. I don’t know why (he doesn’t get the credit). He just does his job consistently every week. It’s like we take it for granted and that’s why I don’t think he gets the credit. We expect him to do what he does week in and week out.
“Who doesn’t (love playing against Tottenham)? If you play for Arsenal and you don’t love playing against Tottenham, then you shouldn’t be at Arsenal – his body movement (on constantly being able to cut in and shoot). He has a low centre of gravity. We know that he is going to go in there and come back in here. But he does it so well that if you just wait there, then he can go that way. If you go that way, then he is going to make you look very, very silly. A special player, who performs in week in and week out. He is always a seven out of ten. Seven or more. I am trying to think when he has been a five or six. He is consistently good.”
Manchester City usually start slowly, but they have made a 100% start to the new Premier League campaign and they look as good as ever.
If Arsenal drop points here, and then lose next week at the Etihad, then they could already be seven points behind, which is a crazy and unhealthy position to be in.
