Bukayo Saka stated that “this is the year” for Arsenal to lift silverware after netting a goal in their impressive 2-0 Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates. With goals from Saka and Kai Havertz against the PSG, Mikel Arteta’s team moved up to eighth place in the new Champions League group phase. A finish in the top eight will ensure a place in the round of 16 for Arsenal.
Saka Says Arsenal Want Silverware
Arsenal has often found themselves in the shadow of Manchester City, finishing as runners-up in the Premier League for the past two seasons. The last time they tasted major success was back in the 2019-20 season when they lifted the FA Cup. However, following a morale-boosting victory against PSG, Bukayo Saka expressed a renewed sense of belief within the squad. He emphasized that Arsenal is evolving into a team capable of winning trophies, and he now has the “hunger in his belly”.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on us, but I do think this is the year,” Saka said. “We’ve been close the last two years and we’re getting closer. This season, there’s a lot of hunger in my belly. Previous years, I’ve come runners-up a lot. It’s just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot. With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we’re a top team. We showed that tonight [against PSG]. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when big teams are coming to the Emirates.”
Arteta Backs Saka Talks
Arsenal’s head coach Mikel Arteta reinforced Saka’s comments, emphasizing the significance of securing a win against an elite European powerhouse like PSG. “PSG are one of the best teams in the world so to beat them, it raises confidence we can compete with any team at any level,” Arteta said. “We showed a lot of maturity in how we played and our stamp on how we want to behave against top teams in Europe.”
“I think the players want to prove a point against top teams at home and they were very dominant. We have the belief and it creates big nights against big cubs, it creates energy and lifts the belief of everybody. And if the players feel we are in right direction and believing what we do, that’s a great sign. To be able to perform the way we did is a really good sign. Arteta also confirmed that Jurriën Timber‘s substitution at half-time was precautionary, as the defender felt a muscular issue,” he added.
“Timber felt something muscular. We’re not certain what it is, but we didn’t want to take risks. He has been out for a year and has had more minutes than expected this season, so have to manage it and workload,’ he concluded.
Conclusion
Arsenal face Southampton this weekend at the Emirates and fans will expect Arteta’s side to get all three points. Bukayo Saka is expected to continue his great form this season as he faces a poor Southampton team.
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