After the pain of missing out on the Premier League title in each of the last two seasons, if any player deserves to taste the bubbles of champagne, it’s the Arsenal star. A man who’s career so far has been a story of near misses. Arsenal appeared to have the top-flight title in the bag before choking back in 2023.
They came even closer in 2024, only for Manchester City to wallop West Ham on the final day. Bukayo Saka also famously missed a penalty during England’s heartbreaking defeat to Italy in the previous European Championships; an FA Cup winners’ medal from four years ago and a pair of Community Shields all Saka has to show for his incredible progress for both club and country. England’s second successive Euro final – one that will see Gareth Southgate’s side face Spain on Sunday evening – offers Saka the chance for, not quite redemption, but some long overdue glory.
READ: 50 MOST LIKELY PREMIER LEAGUE, EFL AND EUROPEAN SUMMER 2024 FOOTBALL TRANSFERS Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka is arguably England’s star man Arguably England’s ‘outstanding’ attacker throughout the tournament, Saka will be one of the first names on Southgate’s team sheet in Berlin. Maintain the form he has displayed during the knockout stages, meanwhile, and Spain’s rocket-fuelled duo of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal may just be overshadowed by the winger in white rather than red. Erik ten Hag, the Manchester United boss, watched Saka run the Dutch defence ragged during Wednesday’s dramatic semi-final triumph.
Thus, justifying Pierre van Hooijdonk’s pre-match labelling of him as the England dangerman. “Over the entire match, England had the best chances,” Ten Hag tells the Algemeen Dagblad , few complaints from him about the way the game ended. “It was a high-level match.
Not as high as France vs Spain on Tuesday, but a real semi-final. After the break, we got into the match better. You felt, at the end, one moment of class would make the difference.
“And then you have to be honest. England simply has more of that class in its squad than we do. That’s how I looked at it too.
With the eye of a coach, you knew that England had more weapons.” Three Lions one win away from Euro glory Saka is one of the most dangerous ‘weapons’ in Southgate’s armoury. With Phil Foden finding form and Harry Kane closing in on another Golden Boot, the Three Lions coach also appears to have found a system which makes the most of the considerable potential up top.
Saka has blossomed as a right-wing back, while Foden has been given the freedom to roam rather than be stuck out on the left. “Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, they are simply absolute international top players,” Ten Hag says, while also hailing the decision to bring matchwinner Ollie Watkins off the bench. “And then Gareth Southgate also has the luxury of being able to bring in a player like Ollie Watkins in the final phase, with Ivan Toney also in reserve.
That is the difference, mind you.” Saka went some way to exercising the ghosts of Wembley 2021 when slamming his spot-kick past Switzerland’s penalty-specialist Yann Sommer in the last-eight. And Southgate could hardly be more glowing in his praise for a man who’s consistency for both Arsenal and England is something to admire.
“I gave him a massive cuddle on the pitch,” Southgate said after Saka helped fire England to another semi-final, via 90Min . “Of course I’m pleased for everybody, but for him especially when his went in. “That takes courage but we have belief in him.
We had belief in him previously. He’s now got a lot more experience of those pressure moments and his all-round performance was exceptional. “The detail of how he had to defend, track and be in the right positions was very complex down that side of the pitch.
Then to give us the outlet in those one against one situations, we felt could be a real advantage for us. “He did, he kept that positive note, so, yeah, his performance was immense.”.
