“I don’t really care”: Saka hits out at criticism of Arsenal approach | OneFootball

Bukayo Saka says he doesn’t care what people think of last season’s performance away to Manchester City, and they’re going to the Etihad Stadium this weekend to win.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka reacts during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 31, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking to the media ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City this weekend, Bukayo Saka addressed questions about the way the Gunners played in last season’s edition of the same fixture.

Mikel Arteta’s side came away from that match with a 0-0 draw, and there have been some suggestions they should have been more proactive in going for the win.

But Saka says that’s what they did, and that’s what they’ll be doing again this time around.

“We will be going there to win, that is our focus,” Saka said. “To be honest, I don’t really care [about the criticism of last season’s performance]. We know what we believed, we know what we went there to achieve.

“Only we know the real truth. We went there to win and we are going to do that again this Sunday.”

LONDON, ENGLAND: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Emirates Stadium on August 17, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

It’s not as though we haven’t seen Arsenal turning up at a ground with an approach similar to the one they employed at the Etihad Stadium last season and leaving with all three points.

You could argue that’s exactly what happened away to Tottenham Hotspur last week, with Ange Postecoglou’s team having a lot more of the ball but Arsenal proving the only side capable of scoring a goal.

The Gunners had a big chance late in the City game too, they just couldn’t take it on that occasion. And they did take it in the reverse fixture, with Gabriel Martinelli converting and Arsenal getting the win.

Manchester City’s English midfielder Jack Grealish (L) vies with Arsenal’s English midfielder Bukayo Saka (R) during the English FA Community Shield football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, in London, August 6, 2023. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

The criticism of Arsenal’s performance against City ultimately feels like revisionism. Before the game, no one was saying that the Gunners desperately needed to go to the Etihad all guns blazing and play open attacking football.

The team had a formula to earn victory that had worked on multiple occasions before and has worked since. It just didn’t come off that time. With any luck, it will this Sunday.