Mikel Arteta challenged Bukayo Saka to start scoring "two or three goals per game" before Arsenal's meeting with Lille. The winger clearly was listening. He needed just six minutes to find the net, and that came after providing an assist with his first touch.
The Arsenal boss was asked if his comments had served as motivation. "If that's the case, I'm very happy and I welcome it," he said with a smile, before revealing he had joked to Saka about "killing him" in his press conference before Tuesday's game. Arteta acknowledged he had set Saka a borderline impossible target, but the 25-year-old's game-changing appearance from the bench showed he is willing to have a crack at it.
Saka's 71st-minute strike against Lille was his fourth in all competitions this season, with another two on international duty with England. His overall total could easily be higher, as he missed one-on-one chances against both Napoli and Leeds. "If he misses the chance, so be it," Arteta said after the win over Leeds. "In the end, the more volume we generate, the bigger the probability of him scoring more goals."
The underlying data supports the change. In the Premier League this season, Saka is averaging nearly twice as many open-play expected goals per 90 minutes as in any previous Arsenal season, at 0.50. He is on track to beat his career-high total of 20 goals from 2023/24, helped by a change of "mindset" about his scoring targets, good fitness, and his interchanges with Kai Havertz that keep defenders guessing.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing