- How the last six games really show which clubs are up and which are sinking
- What lies behind Man City’s Premier League Capitulation?
By Nitram
Even before Arteta announced that Saka would be out for ‘many weeks’ with his hamstring injury, I saw one headline from Goal.com claiming that Arsenal had FAILED (they put it in capitals, not me) Saka by over-playing him.
But is that true? He has certainly played a lot of minutes, but has he been ‘over-played’, that is the question. And first off, what is being over-played? Surely that is a subjective term.
What I have found when something is fundamentally a subjective opinion, is that perspective is often the key. As such I thought the best way to get some of this perspective was to do a comparison between Saka and a player that is similarly vital to their team’s fortunes. In this case, Mo Salah of Liverpool.
I thought the simplest way to compare the two would be with minutes played. Surely that is the definitive measure as to whether a player has been ‘over-played’ or not isn’t it?
Mo Salah is 32 years old. Saka, at just 23 years of age, is nine years Salah’s junior. As such you would think Saka would be capable of playing at least as many minutes as Salah without any undue concern, so let’s see how they compare.
Season 24/25
Saka: in the Premier League he has played 16 games for 1276 minutes. In the Champions League he has played five games for 433 minutes. That makes a total of 21 games for a total of 1709 minutes
Salah on the other hand has played 16 games for 1407 minutes. In the Champions League he has played six games totalling 513 minutes, which makes a grand total of 22 games for a total of 1920 minutes
So Salah has played 211 minutes, or over two matches more than Saka.
For a little more perspective I thought I would look back a little further. Another four seasons in fact, back to Saka’s breakthrough season in 20/21 to see how both players have been used more long term.
This time I’ve only used the Premier League stats for seasons 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and for 2023/24. Here are the findings…
Saka: Played 138 for 11,695 minutes
Salah: Played 129 for 11,678 minutes
So, although over the four seasons Saka has played 9 more matches than Salah, he has in fact only played 17 minutes more, or put another way, less than an average of 5 minutes more per season. Totally irrelevant in fact.
For even more perspective I also did some stats for Rodri at Man City.
He played 11,474 minutes over the same four seasons. Just 45 minutes per season less than Saka, which is again irrelevant. At 28 he too is quite a bit older than Saka.
The reason I have looked over these figures is because experience tells me Saka’s injury will be used as just another stick with which to beat us. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong, but I shall be very surprised if every other rag doesn’t pick up on the goals.com accusations over the next couple of days. It’s what they do.
But here’s the thing: playing their best players as much as they can, is also what managers do. History shows that these players are always used to the max.
That is because they are often as not, crucial to everything their respective teams do. It is a price these players pay, simply for being SO GOOD. Even playing alongside other World Class players they are more often than not, indispensable.
A manger is often damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. Of course he wants to rest players such as Saka, but that is easier said than done when they are so vital to the team.
In conclusion, no Saka isn’t over-played. Nor is Salah and nor is Rodri. They are just indispensable.
None of this changes the fact that coping without Saka is certainly going to be a challenge. Let’s hope we can rise to it.
I don’t think that Salah is targetted by fouling opponents in the same way as Saka, who is regularly scythed down in the early minutes of games, with scant protection from referees. Indeed, he is more likely to get a booking at some stage than the persistent rotating foulers who assault him.
As for overplaying, my view is that the pointless England games are more harmful than ours.
If he was not so regular in the Arsenal team, Arteta would be criticised for poor selection, not knowing his best team etc. etc.
John L
Saka is definitely targeted, but it would soon stop if the referees dealt with it as they should, but of course they don’t.
And part of the reason is again how Arsenal players are treated differently by the media as Saka is constantly being accuse of diving, or going down too easily.
Yet others, such as Kane, Vardy, Gerrard and Rooney, to name but 4, were constantly praised for ‘winning penalties’ or ‘being clever’.
These constant assaults certainly don’t help.
Les Williams
“I remember reading a comment on a German football fan site that whatever the agenda the media wants to follow is uncannily how VAR and officials on the pitch seem to gravitate towards this outcome.”
That, in a nutshell has been my argument for years. The media run the referees. They set out an agenda regarding which team is currently in vogue. Which one they would like to do well. The officials, having taken that on board, subsequently officiate accordingly by generally favouring who has been ‘chosen’. They may even be doing it subconsciously, but they are doing it.
But why would they? They do it because their reputations and even their jobs could depend on it.
If they make a big call, correctly or incorrectly, that the media don’t like, they tear them to shreds.
If they make a call, rightly or wrongly, that the media do like, they will defend them to the hilt.
We have witnessed this many times this season already, especially on SKY’s ref with Dermot Gallagher.
It’s not even difficult for them to do. Referee an unfavoured team by ‘The Letter Of the Law’ one day. Referee a favoured team with a bit of leniency the next.
They don’t even have to cheat. Just give 90% of the 50/50’s to the ‘favoured’ team and that is often as not enough to swing a match, after all over 50% of matches are won by a single goal, and that increases dramatically in games between the main title contenders. In other words it only takes 1 or 2 major calls in a match to favour 1 team and it can be job done.
It’s easy, and the referee doesn’t even appear to be cheating, although he is of course if he is doing it intentionally. But how can we know that, let alone prove it?
GoingGoingGooner
Good points as well.
An aging squad could be part of it, but that is as a result of not spending money for younger replacements.
Complacency and stagnation could also be part of it, but again that could be happening as a result of not spending money to freshen up the squad?
Most of these issues are ultimately down to not spending money on the squad.
Throughout the Mansours tenure they have been spending on average around £70 million net per season on players. There was one 10 year period when they spent an average of £100 million per season. The last 5 years their average annual net spend is under £30 Million. You may of noticed how this ‘Thrift’ has been lorded by the media over recent seasons.
Well of course it was, it gave them something to bash Arsenal with. Look at what Arteta has spent compared to pep, yet he still cant win the title. Blah blah blah. But as I kept saying, we were playing catch on Man City’s years of mega spending. Alas for them it seems the chickens have now come home to roost. The fact is Pep’s been living off of the fruits of those mega spending years and now the fruit has spoiled, and he’s failed to plant new seeds.
Pep is a great manager, but he is not the God everyone said he was. He spent his way to the top, and he’ll have to spend his way back, just like every other mortal.
Sorry, above post in wrong article. One too many sherry’s I’m afraid. Merry Christmas.
I wonder how well Poop would do if he had to take over Wolves and save them from relegation?
@Nitram Nice to hear you indulge over Xmas!
I must agree with you regarding refs handling of certain players. I watch quite a few2 Bundesliga games – some fans are fed up with Kane getting lots of penalties at Bayern – Quelle surprise. Some I have seen were questionable at best!
I must say as a Neutral I have to agree with you regarding the different attitudes of officials to Arsenal.
My son has said that for the last few seasons Arsenal have played the best football in the EPL and they are the most entertaining team. He also is not an Arsenal fan!
The bottom line is that all I want is FAIRNESS from ALL officials in the game.
With that a Merry Christmas to all on here – please go and indulge!
Les Williams
I know that from reading your comments you are not impressed by referees right across Europe, and you are certainly in a better position than I to comment.
But what I would say is that before any game we have coming up in Europe my first thought is not ‘who is the referee’. I always go into a European night expecting, if nothing else, a balanced performance from the officials. Of course it doesn’t always happen. Some are very poor, but I still think that by and large, when they are, they are equally poor to both sides. Whatever they are like, they are almost always miles better than the Premier League.
It comes to something when Untold’s most important assessment of the approaching Premier League match is the referee and how he is likely to perform. His bias and his inconsistences being of most concern. Not just across the season, the range of teams, but more specifically his history when refereeing us, and for some of them that is truly abysmal.
The referee, and how he is going to perform, should not even enter into the conversation. When it is front and centre you know there is something seriously wrong.
We should be certain before the match, that although he may not be perfect, he will be fair and consistent throughout, and that he will apply the Laws Of the Game, equally and without prejudice to both teams.
Sadly to our cost, and to others as well it must be said, it is clear this very often not the case. ‘Letter Of The law’ for some. ‘Benefit Of The Doubt’ to others. It is simply unacceptable.
It is a sad state of affairs when the quality and form of the opposition is often of secondary importance.
Anyway, enough of that. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours, and all the other wonderful regulars that I so enjoy reading and debating with.
Peace and Love to you all.