Quote Originally Posted by IBK View Post
Yep - good comments. My tuppence worth - Saka is popular because he plays eye-catching football - and we all like that 'electric' high-octane stuff. Often the very best footballers are those who might not necessarily do play at 100 miles an hour or do the tricks and flicks - but those who see the game better than anyone else, and understand exactly what they need to do before other players - executing with maximum efficiency. As you say - Saka is also the victim of the idolisation culture you have identified.

But he is a very good player IMO nonetheless - more so when you consider his tender age/inexperience and our lack of senior players (Partey aside) able to dominate the opposition and provide a proper platform around him. We should not be relying on him as much as we do. It's no accident that the likes of Klopp admire him (and reportedly sees Saka as a future replacement for Salah/Mane). I think that Saka would have progressed more had he not been lamentably overplayed and given no protection from the rough housing he receives in every game.

Other players highlighted in the OP:

ESR - I love him but he hasn't progressed since he first made it into the first team. I'm hoping that this is due to injuries/knocks that can be ironed out longer term but he is a worry for me.

Xhaka - everyone on here knows my controversial view that he is better than his reputation amongst many Arsenal fans, a great professional and will normally give you a 7/10. I think its unfair that he has become a lightening rod for those frustrated by our years outside the top 4 and castigated for what he is not rather than what he is...but we have done this to death.

Ben White had a better season than many think...IMO he is burdened by a price tag that has been measured by the standards of 3 years ago, not the current transfer market for British players.

Odegard is a genius - and one of the types of players whose reading of the game is just better than almost anyone else. Can't wait to see him working with a top class striker.

Martinelli is one of those eye-catchers mentioned above, but badly needs to find consistent end product.

Saliba - I worry about him being seen as the next messiah. I really do. We cannot and should not ignore how good our defence was last season when we had our first choice back 5 available.

...and my final comment (again) despite the criticism we finished 2 points off top 4 with the most callow team in the league. My wish is that our team could be evaluated as against reality, not perfection or projection as to what the competition will do.
Some...intradesting opinions there.

Xhaka being the strangest one. 7/10??? We clearly rate the game entirely differently. Even when Xhaka does nothing wrong (which is always a fear with him, which says it all) he does very little right/well.

He's one of these insignificant players. Everything he does is junk. Takes the balls plays it short to the side or backwards. Almost all of his involvements could be bypassed by the player who gives the ball to Xhaka simply giving it to the player Xhaka then gives it to. That's how easy it would be to replicate Xhaka's contribution to the team.

He's also woeful defensively, letting players run off him more than any other CM I've ever seen.

Elneny is exactly the same with his cowardly possession of the ball, but he's slightly more disciplined defensively.