Bukayo Saka says Arsenal haven’t lost belief despite their recent run of form, and he’s learned from Thierry Henry that he has to play with confidence.
Given Arsenal’s recent run of three games without a Premier League win, it would be fair to expect a dip in confidence from the players. That’s certainly been the case among the supporters, with some fans starting to wonder if a title challenge is even possible this season.
But speaking on Tuesday in Arsenal’s press conference ahead of their game against Inter Milan, Bukayo Saka says no one in the squad is losing belief.
“I always live by the quote, ‘it’s not what you see, it’s what you believe’,” Saka said. “At the same time, it’s important to not be delusional, and in this case I don’t think it’s delusional to believe.
“If you look at our squad, the quality we have, the players we have, and at the same time we’re only in November. So I don’t think I’ve lost any belief. I don’t think anyone in the changing room has either.”
In another interview with James Benge of CBS Sports this week, Saka said that he’s learned a lot about confidence and belief from former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
“The main thing I learned from him is the confidence,” Saka said. “When you see the way he plays, the fear he strikes into defenders is already enough.
“I tried to take that from him. I’ve tried to play with more confidence, that belief that you’re almost unplayable.”
Whatever Henry has been telling Saka, it’s clearly been working for the winger. The 23-year-old has 10 goals and assists in his first nine games of the Premier League campaign, as well as scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Saka will have another opportunity to make his mark on the main stage as Arsenal face Inter Milan on Wednesday night, before returning to the Premier League for a big game against Chelsea on Sunday.
