Pundit Trevor Steven has suggested that Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is so much stronger than he looks.
Steven was commentating on Arsenal’s victory over Everton yesterday for TalkSPORT International.
Although Arsenal were on top all afternoon, it was a moment of brilliance from Leandro Trossard that eventually made the difference.
He opened his body up and struck a fantastic left-foot shot into the far corner out of the reach of Jordan Pickford.
His goal was set up after some good from Bukayo Saka after starting a well-worked move from a corner.
The 22-year-old attacker was on the end of some robust challenges from Everton left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko.
However, Trevor Steven commented that Saka is actually very strong which is unsurprising given how many duels the Arsenal star is involved in with much bigger defenders every week.
He’s not the tallest player, but his balance and ability to ride big challenges have made him an incredibly difficult attacker to deal with.
Arsenal star Saka is much stronger than he looks
Covering the match on TalkSPORT, commentator Kevin Hatchard said: “He’s been in the wars [Bukayo] Saka.”
Trevor Steven added: “Well he has, he gets that because he does hang onto the ball. He likes two or three touches, draws in defenders.
“He’s got great body strength for a player who you think might be a little bit lightweight.
“He’s the complete opposite of that, he’s got a low centre of gravity and he encourages that physicality as well.”
One of the keys to Saka being such a successful attacker is his ability to beat defenders on the inside and the outside.
Full-backs have to be wary that he can cut inside and shoot accurately from distance like he did against Nottingham Forest.
However, he’s also formed a fantastic partnership with Ben White who is always seen bombing down the wing to overlap him.
Saka will have worked out soon after his Arsenal debut that he needed to get stronger to deal with some Premier League defenders.
It stood him in good stead as he’s not missed a league game in years despite constantly being on the end of some tough tackles.