Arteta must drop the Arsenal star who made only 11 passes

Mikel Arteta’s side may be on course to win a quadruple but Arsenal’s last performance was anything but.

Last Saturday was not very pleasant, they won 2-1 away at Mansfield Town but under the bright lights in Germany, they played the same way against Bayer Leverkusen.

Indeed, as the club’s campaign for Champions League relegation begins, the Londoners drew 1-1 with their Bundesliga opposition and will be working hard to reverse the result at the Emirates Stadium in the second leg next Tuesday.

Kai Havertz returned to his former club to score a late penalty but you have to say there was an element of luck for Arsenal that will come with anything on their journey.

How Arsenal played against Bayer Leverkusen

As Arsenal reach the business stage of the season you could forgive them for looking a little tired. Yes, they have looked that way in recent weeks, even if the depth of their squad has been hailed as the best in Europe.

Against Leverkusen, they were made to look average, truth be told, as the team with the second-best defensive record at home in the Bundesliga proved why they are so difficult to break down.

While Arsenal went through most of the game without worrying too much about the German outfit, their frustration rose to another frustrating night in the final third, especially for Bukayo Saka.

The Arsenal star recently signed a new contract worth £300k-a-week but his performances have not meant such a high salary.

In 2026 so far, this player has won just two points in 14 games. In fact, if you look back to the latter stages of 2025 and his streak of just two goal games extends to 21.

He has been under for a few months now and his display at Leverkusen was perhaps the nadir of his season so far. Sent off without an hour played, Saka left the field having failed to provide a key pass or shot on target. All three of his crosses were also inaccurate.

Because of this, it was no surprise that some of the top players struggled. It wasn’t until Havertz’s penalty that they finally found the net. As it happened, it was Saka’s substitution for Noni Madueke who won the goal.

Before that, however, Leverkusen had beaten Arsenal in their own game, with Robert Andrich heading in a corner just after the break.

So, in general, it was a very bad night for many wearing red and white. That said, Saka wasn’t Arsenal’s biggest underdog.

Bad player for Arsenal against Leverkusen

The team’s captain for the night, Saka’s display was perhaps one of his worst for the club since his youth breakthrough.

However, neither he nor his teammates have been helped by striker Viktor Gyokeres who continues to be a top performer at the other end of the pitch for Arteta’s side.

The Swede has struggled for consistency since joining Sporting last summer but by 2026, he was one of Arsenal’s best players. After scoring twice against Spurs a few weeks ago, the centre-half has now netted eight goals in 12 games this season.

Sadly, since that stint in north London, Gyokeres has returned to writing. His performance against Brighton in the 1-0 win was arguably his worst, managing 13 assists despite just 20 possessions. He couldn’t even lift the ball.

Well, it’s been the same kind of performance since the big money came into this one. He lasted 74 minutes before being replaced by Havertz, but his replacement should have been much quicker.

While Saka enjoyed a couple of chances down the right, Gyokeres cut in a stranger who just couldn’t hold on to the ball. That meant Arsenal couldn’t release any pressure once they got the ball forward.

The expensive striker had just 21 touches on Wednesday evening, 11 fewer than goalkeeper David Raya, and also completed 69% of his passes, making six clearances.

Even worse, he didn’t get a single shot on goal. That sadly tells the sad story of his Arsenal career so far. There have been too many games where he hasn’t looked dangerous at all.

Although Havertz’s involvement was limited in goal, it was very effective and at this crucial stage of the season, the German should start over both Gyokeres and Jesus. However, they will need to keep him strong. They haven’t been able to do that for the better part of a year now, but if they hope to win the championship, Arteta needs him in the team.

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