The Curious Case of Bukayo Saka’s Poor Form
Among the overall underperformance of the England squad, erratic throughout the Eurocup except for some saving moments by Jude Bellingham, the disappearance of a key player like Bukayo Saka stands out. He has yet to make an impact in any of the four matches, and Gareth Southgate's insistence on including him in the starting eleven is under scrutiny.
Saka's credit in the Eurocup is running out game by game, and there are only three left if England reaches the final. His contributions in the group stage (Serbia, Denmark, and Poland) and in the Round of 16 (Slovakia) have not matched his stellar performances for Arsenal over the past year.
With a lackluster performance so far, Saka might be one of Southgate's changes for the crucial quarterfinal clash against Switzerland. Players like Cole Palmer are loudly calling for an opportunity. The statistics comparing his average per 90 minutes for Arsenal (46 matches last year) and England (9 matches) do not favor Saka. It seems Gareth Southgate cannot bring out the best in his player as Mikel Arteta does.
With Arsenal, Saka has averaged nearly half a goal per match (0.44), whereas with England, he has yet to score. His shooting average with the Gunners is 2.67 per 90 minutes compared to 1.83 with England. Shots on target are 0.96 with Arsenal, but he has not managed any with England in his last nine matches. In terms of assists, he averages 0.24 with Arsenal compared to 0.14 with England. Additionally, he has provided 0.66 key passes, 1.84 successful passes into the box, 2.95 recoveries in the opponent's half, and 3.67 successful dribbles per match for Arsenal. For England, these numbers drop to 0.28, 1.69, 1.83, and 3.52, respectively.
Until the quarterfinals, other issues have overshadowed Saka's poor form. Criticism has focused on Gareth Southgate's work, other players not performing, and calls for replacements to improve England's image. Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo have drawn media attention, as has Jude Bellingham, who started the tournament as a hero with his goal against Serbia, experienced a dip in form, and was celebrated again for his fantastic bicycle kick against Slovakia.
Now, facing a decisive match against Switzerland, Southgate will need to play his best cards. One of them might not be Saka, who struggles in the fog while Cole Palmer, in his limited Eurocup minutes (74 compared to Saka's 336), has shown flashes of quality with his dribbling and direct play.