Arsenal given new Bukayo Saka problem as Mikel Arteta fails to learn from lesson

The new season is only two weeks old and Mikel Arteta's worst nightmare might've already come true. While the initial prognosis surrounding Bukayo Saka's injury doesn't look too bad on the surface, it's another example of the Englishman's body showing signs of weakness.

Optimism was high heading into the campaign that Saka could enjoy a clean bill of health, or at least a less disrupted season than last time around, where the winger missed a chunk of the season with a hamstring injury. The issue was so severe that it required surgery, with Saka's absence effectively costing Arsenal a real shot at the title.

It's impossible to say whether it was a case of bad luck, or if it could've been prevented, but there were alarm bells ringing for some time surrounding the amount of football Saka was playing. Between August 2022 and October 2024, Saka featured in all but three of Arsenal's Premier League fixtures - a staggering amount no matter how you dress it up.

His latest problem is another hamstring-related injury as well, albeit on the opposite leg, but it might've opened up an even bigger can of worms after Arteta failed to learn from the previous lesson of over-exerting Arsenal's main man. So much of Arteta's success since taking over at Arsenal has focused on his side's attacking play being channelled through Saka on the right-hand side.

But it's become clear that when Saka is taken out of the equation, Arsenal not only struggle more in the final third, but also look completely lost in several other areas of the pitch. It's no surprise, given the immense quality that Saka possesses, but if the 23-year-old isn't ever going to be a 50+ game-a-season player, it could force Arteta back to the drawing board.

Assuming fitness issues will continue to plague Saka for the foreseeable future, as the evidence suggests, Arteta has to find a system that works with him as well as without him. The good news is the arrival of a high-volume goalscorer in Viktor Gyokeres should address that problem somewhat, as it lessens the attacking burden previously placed on Saka's shoulders.

Plus, additions such as Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze should elevate Arsenal's play in the final third even when Saka isn't available. But it's one thing having the shiny new assets, it's another thing finding a system that allows them to thrive and if Arteta is to end Arsenal's wait for a league title, that could prove his biggest task.

We won't have to wait long to see what it could look like, given Arsenal are set for the biggest task of them all in the Premier League this weekend. The Gunners travel to the home of the champions, Liverpool, for what could prove an early-season ding-dong between two sides fancied for the title. It's not an understatement to suggest this could turn out to be a sink-or-swim moment for Arteta and his new band of merrymen this season.