Bukayo Saka is about to solve Arsenal’s biggest problem in a nightmare scenario for Real Madrid

Misconceptions always run wild in the world of Arsenal. From spending, to transfer strategies, playing style and of course how successful things have been under Mikel Arteta

Now, the season has hardly been thwarted by self-inflicted chaos – there has been some no doubt – but the bulk of Arsenal’s problems has been outside of their control, particularly when it comes to injuries. The impact of this is evident in watching the team play.

Complaints about a meagre, restrictive style which lacks the verve and attacking flair of the last two seasons. Yet when you look at the Premier League list of big chances created, Arsenal sit second behind, unsurprisingly, Liverpool

The Reds lead the way on 86 and Arsenal second on 74. Now, the response to this has been that the Gunners have relied heavily on set-pieces – although their goal over Chelsea last weekend was the first since Dominik Solanke deflected a Gabriel Magalhaes header into the net in the North London Derby back in January.

That being said, when you take open play big chances created, stats show that Arsenal are not even in the top six. Liverpool still lead the way with 78 but the Gunners have a lower value than Brighton, who have 57.

Does this therefore prove that Arsenal are going backwards and Mikel Arteta’s style has regressed?

The England international has been missing since last year and has been quite easily the biggest creative miss from the team all season. Not to mention Martin Odegaard being out for two months in the earlier part of the campaign with an ankle injury, with further squad issues not allowing him to effectively recover from as his form has suffered – which he himself admits.

Saka has been out for close to four months, and still ranks as the league’s highest shot-assist maker with close to 2.9 per match. The next highest is De Bruyne with 2.3.

When you lose a player of this calibre no matter who you are, it has an impact; no transfer is going to solve that mid-season. The good news is that Saka is on the mend and there is hope that he will be back for the UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid in April.

His return will be a massive boost to the side, but moreover their creativity. Burdens will shift and, should he return match fit, the ambitions for the season’s end can finally take a slight rise.