“He showed a lot of guts and determination” : Mikel Arteta admits being nervous during Bukayo Saka’s penalty against Switzerland

Mikel Arteta revealed that he was feeling nervous when Bukayo Saka took the penalty in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Euros. The England forward took the first penalty in the shootout against Switzerland, as the Three Lions came out victorious in the last eight clash.

Bukayo Saka missed the decisive penalty in the 2021 Euro finals shootout against Italy, which was the reason why Mikel Arteta was a bit nervous. However, he put away the penalty rather comfortably this time around to give England the early lead.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praise on the Arsenal forward, as he stated that it took a lot of guts and determination to step up first during the shootout. “I was very nervous,” said Arteta. “It plays back in your mind from a few years ago and that moment but he showed a lot of guts and determination and composure to take it the way he did,” he added, as quoted by Standard.co.uk.

Mikel Arteta also heaped praise on Bukayo Saka’s prominent roles for his domestic club, and for England. He stated that the youngster was evolving as a crucial player for his national side as well, which is a very rare thing to see at this age.

“His role is constantly growing and evolving. He is a super important player for Arsenal and one of the main players for the national team, and at his age that’s a really rare thing to see,” he added.

Mikel Arteta says Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will not miss early part of the season

Mikel Arteta revealed that Arsenal players Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will not miss the early part of the season. The two players have been granted a couple of weeks off after a hectic Euros, and will rejoin the team in August. Declan Rice played the joint most minutes at the Euros, whereas, Bukayo Saka played the sixth most minutes at the tournament.

“Let’s see what condition they come back in. All of the messages I have got from them, they are really excited to come back and have a great season again. I do not expect anything else,” said Arteta.

“There is a very well thought-out plan of integration, but we cannot expect them to go from sunbeds to training at 100 miles per hour. They need to be able to get up to speed. When they come back we will be working closely with them to follow the rhythm of the rest of the boys,” he added.

Arsenal will be looking to claim the Premier League title this season, after come agonizingly close last season. The Gunners have finished as the runners-up in the previous two seasons, both times to Manchester City. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are the two most important players in Mikel Arteta’s lineup, and he will hope to have them at their 100% by the time the season gets underway.

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