Bukayo Saka has been Arsenal’s most important player in recent seasons (Picture: Getty)
Thomas Frank, the head coach of Premier League side Brentford, has explained the secret to stopping Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka.
Saka has been Arsenal’s most important player in recent seasons – particularly in an attacking sense – with 25 goal involvements in 35 top-flight games last term.
In the campaign before that, another season in which Arsenal finished as narrow runners-up to Manchester City, Saka had 25 goal involvements across 38 matches.
Arsenal need Saka back at his best if they are to mount a title challenge for the third campaign in a row but Bees boss Frank has thrown a spanner in the works.
That’s because the Brentford head coach has told other Premier League managers what to do in order to keep Saka quiet ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Frank, who is Danish, was working as a pundit for the BBC covering Denmark’s Euro 2024 group game against England on Thursday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
During the coverage, Frank spoke about the methods he personally used to neutralise Saka and said: ‘We tried to double up on him.
‘He’s the key player, we double up, close down his left foot. Let him go on his right if you can’t close him, so that’s the biggest thing.’
Meanwhile, fellow BBC pundit Rio Ferdinand, who was trolled by Arsenal fans for claiming Saka wasn’t world class in February, has lauded the Englishman.
‘How can you not like him?’ Ferdinand added. ‘You just warm to him. He’s a devastating player and an integral player to this [England] team.
Thomas Frank’s Brentford finished 16th in the top-flight last season (Picture: Getty)
‘He’s one of the first names on the sheet in this team, no doubt. In the first game [against Serbia], outside of Jude Bellingham, he was my favourite player to watch.
‘The variation in his play is what really excited me – the ability to go outside, to come inside, the unpredictability in his play and then the class.’
Metro.co.uk gave Saka a 6/10 rating for his performance against Denmark on Thursday in England’s second match at Euro 2024.
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