There’s a weird thing that happens in the Premier League where a player becomes a “certainty” in people’s heads. Not just good, but beyond criticism. And for a lot of Liverpool supporters, Bukayo Saka sits right in that bracket.

The frustration isn’t really about Arsenal having a top winger. It’s the way the conversation turns into a coronation, while any dip in output from Mohamed Salah gets turned into “washed” talk the second someone fancies a new storyline.

Hype versus what you actually see

Part of the issue is that Saka looks the part. He’s quick, he likes to run at full-backs, he carries that constant threat that gets highlights clipped up nicely. That stuff matters, to be fair. It stretches teams and pins them back.

But the point being made here is simpler: end product still has to count for something, and it’s fair for fans to question why the praise can feel automatic. If someone believes Saka’s decision-making and finishing don’t match the reputation, they’re not being mad for the sake of it. They’re reacting to what they think they’re watching week to week.

And in this view, it’s exactly why comparisons to other “pace and directness” wide players get dragged in. Plenty have looked dangerous without ever becoming truly elite.

Arsenal’s base looks like the real engine

There’s also a tactical angle to it. When Arsenal are at their best, they can feel built from the back and through the middle. The claim here is that if they do go on and win something big, it’ll be because of their deeper core: the keeper, the centre-backs, the full-backs, and that midfield platform that lets everything else function.

That’s not a glamorous take, but it’s often the truth in title races. Teams that control games without needing a front four to play like prime Barcelona can rack up points in a fairly joyless, efficient way.

If you’re a neutral, it can be miserable. If you’re chasing them, it’s even worse.

Salah still gets held to a different standard

The comparison with Salah is where the irritation really bites. The argument is that even with the noise around his level, and even with bits of disruption across a season, he’s still putting up better output than Saka in the numbers quoted. Yet the narrative around Salah can turn sour far quicker.

That’s what does people’s heads in. Not that Saka is rated. It’s that Salah has to be perfect to be praised, while others can be merely good and get treated like the second coming.

Maybe that’s just how modern football chat works. But Liverpool fans don’t have to like it.

Written by MK Scouser: 3 February 2026

Tags: efl tactics