Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta compared the club’s winger Bukayo Saka to Argentine legendary playmaker Lionel Messi after the former scored and assisted in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Wolves.
Arteta led Arsenal to a seamless 2-0 victory over Wolves to kick off his bid for a third successive challenge for the England Championships on a brilliant note.
On a sunny afternoon at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners saw off a passive Wolves side, who were largely overwhelmed by Arsenal’s masterclass from the first half.
After a dominant start to the match, Germany international Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the home side to cap a brilliant 25-minute run. The goal was enough to have the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Premier League runners-up take the lead at the break.
While Wolves improved their gameplay in the second half, it wasn’t enough to upset a better-performing Arsenal side. Twenty-six minutes before regulation time, Bukayo Saka, who assisted the Gunners’ first strike found the back of the net again for the Londoners to double the lead and seal the win.
Mikel Arteta compares Bukayo Saka to Lionel Messi
Speaking after the match, Arteta heaped praises on Bukayo Saka for his role in the game. When grilled on the proficiency of the England star on Arsenal’s right wing, the 42-year-old said Saka is unstoppable.
He went on to draw a parallel between the player and Argentine legendary playmaker Lionel Messi. According to Arteta, Bukayo Saka is like Lionel Messi, hence he cannot be stopped.
“With (Lionel) Messi I know he’s gonna come here and put the ball there, but he does it all the time. You can’t stop him. That’s the quality of the players.’
Arteta also hailed the mentality of his international stars who played at the Euros and trained on their holidays.
‘I’m not surprised (they came back straight away). That was their mentality straight away after the last game. They said, “I’m gonna be ready for the first game”. I spoke to them after the summer and tried to arrange a plan.
‘They wanted to come back and be here early. They were already getting prepared when they were on holiday. This is the mentality that we need.
‘If players are doing that compromise, it will grow around the team and they will step up the level. That’s what we need.’
Note that Arteta has been a great admirer of Lionel Messi. Speaking in an interview about Messi, the former Barcelona Academy graduate lauded the character and quality of Messi, hailing the footballer as the best the game has produced.
“Messi is such a prodigious and great talent. He is certainly the best the game has produced. His movements, positioning, prolific attacking strides says it all,” he said.
Being a big fan of the Argentine, Arteta’s comparison of Saka to Lionel Messi was not a surprise. Meanwhile, it is understood his metaphor, putting Saka and Messi on the same pedestal could be taken at face value. While Saka is a big talent, the two players are miles apart on the calibrating scale of the game.
Bukayo Saka’s contributions to Arsenal
Arsenal’s rise under Mikel Arteta since 2021 coincided with the emergence of Bukayo Saka as one of the club’s biggest attacking assets.
The England star has been an integral part of Arsenal’s title-chasing squad in the past two seasons. He scored 14 goals with 11 assists in the 2022-23 campaign.
Last season, he starred again for the club, scoring 16 goals with 9 assists in 35 Premier League appearances. He will be expected to play a big role as Arsenal challenge for the Premier League title again this season.
