Arteta Urges Saka to Target Two or Three Goals in Every Arsenal Match
Mikel Arteta has told Bukayo Saka to stop chasing a season-long goal total and instead approach every match believing he can score two or three times.
Key takeaways
- Saka has scored three goals in Arsenal’s first six Premier League matches.
- Arteta believes the 25-year-old could already have added four or five more goals.
- Arsenal are working to move Saka into more central, close-range scoring positions.
- The England winger missed a late one-on-one against Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford on Saturday.
- Saka scored 20 goals in all competitions in his 2023-24 campaign.
Arteta demands a match-by-match mentality
Arteta rejected the suggestion that Saka should set a target of reaching last season’s 20-goal mark. His message was more forceful: Saka should enter each game aiming for multiple goals, then accept whatever return comes from it.
The Arsenal manager feels a forward can lose their attacking edge by calculating how many goals are required over the remaining months of a season. With eight months left after October, thinking only about the 17 goals needed to reach 20 would not create the mentality Arteta wants.
Saka has passed up notable opportunities in recent weeks. His late chance against Leeds came after earlier misses against Sunderland and Napoli in the Champions League, but Arteta has no concern over the winger’s overall direction.
Arsenal push Saka closer to goal
Arsenal’s coaching staff have deliberately sought to get Saka nearer the six-yard box and into central lanes, rather than leaving him in predictable wide positions. The adjustment has produced close-range goals against Coventry and Aston Villa.
Saka also scored two tap-ins for England against Croatia during the international break, further underlining the value of those areas.
Arteta said Arsenal must keep supplying the winger with volume: shots, one-touch efforts and simple finishes around goal. Missing chances is not the issue if Saka continues to arrive in high-value positions, because more opportunities should bring more goals.
The manager also sees the positional change as a way to make Saka harder for opponents to contain. A player who can appear inside the penalty area, rather than operating only from the flank, gives defenders far less certainty over how to mark him.
