‘Put him on the bench’… Alan Pardew tells Mikel Arteta to drop 22-year-old Arsenal player

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Alan Pardew has said that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta needs to give Bukayo Saka a rest.

The former Newcastle United and West Ham United manager has not been impressed by how Saka has been playing for Arsenal in recent times.

So, what has Alan Pardew said about Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka? Let’s take a look.

Mikel Arteta told to drop Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka

Well, Alan Pardew has said that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta needs to give Bukayo Saka a rest.

The former Newcastle United and West Ham United manager made the comments about Saka following Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup this past weekend.

The 22-year-old England international winger did not have a good match on a personal level. Alan Shearer was not impressed. Arsenal lost the tie 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in North London.

Saka has scored six goals and given six assists in 19 Premier League matches for Arsenal this season. The winger has also scored three goals and provided four assists in five UEFA Champions League games for the North London club this campaign.

Pardew said about Saka on talkSPORT (6:57 pm, January 7, 2024): “The one thing that I am trying to sort of touch on a little bit. When you think of Man City, they play very similar to Arsenal. The right side is on the right, the left is on the left, but Liverpool are different. 

“They mix it up. They chop it around, they interchange a little bit more, and I think Arsenal need to free Saka up or actually put him on the bench and give him a rest. He needs to be re-energised because today he looked flat, didn’t he?”

My View: Arsenal need to mix it up

In my opinion, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta needs to mix it up in attack. I think that one of the reasons why Bukayo Saka is struggling at the moment is because opposition managers have started to work out how to stop the Gunners’ attacking unit.

It is a given that Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will be the two wingers and Gabriel Jesus will start down the middle. Martin Odegaard will be the playmaker behind them.

And, it is also the same 4-3-3 formation. Maybe Arteta needs to switch things up a bit and give chances to players such as Emile Smith Rowe, who has been tipped to leave Arsenal in the January transfer window.