'Glad you noticed': Thierry Henry tells Saka four Arsenal players don't get enough credit for what they do
Today at 02:45 PM
Thierry Henry and Bukayo Saka enjoyed an interesting discussion after Arsenal beat PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
It was a straightforward win for Arsenal against the Ligue 1 champions, even though others perhaps expected more of a test from the visitors.
Luis Enrique axed star man Ousmane Dembele from the PSG squad and his absence was pretty clear.
The London club, not only took home the points, but also registered another clean sheet after their strong start in the Premier League and goalless draw away at Atalanta.
Henry spoke with Saka post-match and the club’s defence was mentioned given that they are now one of the best in Europe.
The legendary striker was keen to point out that the likes of David Raya, William Saliba and Gabriel rightfully take ‘all the credit’ for their defensive work.
But he feels those further up the pitch don’t get the credit they deserve for the work they put in and he put Saka’s name on that list too.
Henry named Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Trossard as the others who deserve their flowers for helping Arsenal’s defence so much.
Saka told the Arsenal icon that he is glad that he ‘noticed that’ and how he prefers to stay up the field and ‘save his legs’, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (01/10/24 at 10:25 pm).
But Arsenal’s academy star realises that their defensive efforts result in clean sheet after clean sheet, which is being displayed this term.
Arsenal defending from the front to keep clean sheets
“I wanted to ask you (Saka) how you feel because of the amount of work you are doing and, by the way, rightly so, you guys are defending well as a team,” said Henry.
“Gabriel, Saliba and David Raya take all the credit, as it should be, but if it wasn’t for you, the work that Martinelli does, Havertz and Trossard, whoever plays, then it would have been way more difficult. How do you feel because, every time you get the ball back, you have to make those 60 yards to go and come back.”
Saka responded: “It’s good that you noticed that because the attackers are doing a lot of work for the clean sheets. But, of course, we have to do our job to help out the defenders, it’s not easy, as an attacking player, I want to be up the pitch and save my legs for the transition, but when I look at the results this season, we have a lot of clean sheets and it shows that it’s working.”
Bukayo Saka going from strength to strength
Saka is now one of the best players in Europe and the fact that he has this desire to defend like he is a fullback himself is positively contagious.
That has been one of the biggest changes at the London club in recent years, the amount of work the players put in without the ball can’t be questioned and the results are there for all to see.
READ MORE: Clarence Seedorf has spotted something 'amazing' that Kai Havertz is doing at Arsenal
Now, Saka is hoping to guide Arsenal to the Premier League title because it is the one big thing that is missing from this ever-growing side.
If that happens, then this Arsenal side can call themselves elite and Saka will enter the world-class territory.
