Regarding Saka's goal efficiency this season, The Telegraph published an article stating that Arteta is helping Saka evolve, with all four of Saka's non-penalty goals this season coming from close-range finishes.

Saka has been at Arsenal's senior level for eight years, and the club academy's "Star Boy" has undergone multiple positional transitions during that time. He initially played as a left-back, gradually transitioned to left winger, and later developed into one of Europe's finest right wingers.

Now 25 years old, Saka appears to be entering a new phase of evolution. Early signs this season indicate that the England international is more aggressive in his positioning, pursuing goals with greater determination than ever before.

So far this season, Saka has played 11 matches for club and country, scoring 5 goals. While the sample size remains small, this goal rate represents a new career high.

However, perhaps more encouraging than the statistics is the manner in which his goals are being scored. All four of Saka's non-penalty goals have come from close-range finishes: he cuts in from the right, drives into the box, and shoots. Last season, only one of his 11 Arsenal goals was scored this way.

Is Saka transforming into a true goalscorer? It's too early to say with certainty, but one thing is clear: his positioning has changed this season, bringing him closer to the opponent's goal. This shift is evident not only when Arsenal attacks down the left; when the team attacks through the middle, he also pushes deep into the box.

The most typical example is his match-winning goal against Aston Villa in late August. Arsenal advanced their attack down the left, and Saka, with immense physicality and determination, drove into the box, completely overwhelming Villa's left-back. In previous seasons, Saka likely would have stayed at the far post waiting for an opportunity, but this time he burst directly into the danger area.

Arsenal manager Arteta commented: "He's constantly getting into great positions now—to finish, to get one-touch finishes, and to tap in from close range. That's exactly what we want him to achieve."

In Saturday's match against Leeds United, Saka's individual performance was not ideal. His dribbling wasn't at its best, yet he still came close to scoring twice from central positions: first by converting a low cross from the left, and second by infiltrating Leeds' defense in added time.

This also reflects Saka's improving ability to find dangerous areas: earlier in the season, he could easily have scored more than 5 goals. His movement and timing have genuinely improved; it's just that his finishing hasn't quite caught up yet, squandering several good chances against Brighton and Napoli.

Arteta is not concerned about these missed chances. From the Arsenal manager's perspective, what matters is that Saka consistently creates a high volume of shooting opportunities. "It doesn't matter if he misses chances," said Arteta. "Ultimately, the more chances he creates, the higher the probability he'll score. He's playing very well; in fact, he could easily have scored four or five more goals by now."

Arteta has been guiding Saka to shift his mentality, cultivating him to become a true finisher in front of goal. Saka's highest-scoring season to date was 2023-24, when he scored 20 goals for Arsenal across all competitions. Clearly, Arteta expects him to break that record this season.

Arteta stated: "When he sets a goal target, he shouldn't just look at the total number of goals for the season, but think about how many goals he should try to score in each match. Once his mentality changes, he'll consistently find those positions and score more goals."

"I think the target should be to aim for two or three goals per game—that's it, that's the right mentality. If the thinking becomes 'My target is 20 goals, it's only October, I still have eight months to score 17 more,' that mentality won't work and won't help him reach his objective."

The shift in Saka's mentality and positioning will inevitably affect other aspects of his game. If he concentrates his energy on finishing in the box, his contribution to initiating attacks down the wing will naturally diminish. This has indeed been happening, with Saka's crosses per game and dribbles per game both dropping significantly in the Premier League this season.

If this is the price Saka must pay to increase his goal tally, then both he and Arteta are willing to accept that trade-off. Saka is already among the world's best players in his position, and there is only one factor that can elevate him to the very top: goals. Could this be his next transformation? Arteta answered: "Yes, absolutely, he can definitely achieve it."

Traduzido por IA.

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