Saturday’s World Cup third-place playoff was billed as the game nobody wanted to play. Bukayo Saka clearly did not share that stance.
“Of course, I would have loved to have played more,” Saka reflected after scoring a hat trick in England’s wild 6–4 victory over France, which brought just a third start for the Arsenal winger out of eight possible appearances.
“But it’s not the time to talk about out that now. I try to do my talking on the pitch. It’s done now. Move on.”
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and England manager Thomas Tuchel has learned that lesson first-hand this summer. Alongside criticism of his defensive tactics in the semifinal defeat to Argentina, many have now questioned why Saka not only did not start, but did not even come off the bench against Lionel Messi and Co.
Why Did Saka Not Start for England Against Argentina?
Given the form in which Saka ended the World Cup, Tuchel will face plenty of questions about his use, or lack thereof, of the Arsenal winger against Argentina.
Some initially turned to a fitness concern. An Achilles problem plagued Saka’s end to the Premier League season with Arsenal and prevented him from starting England’s first two group games this summer, although he still grabbed an assist in 18 minutes against Croatia.
After starting the final group game against Panama and setting up his second goal of the summer, Saka was sent back to the bench for the round-of-32 triumph over DR Congo. He returned for an hour from the start of the win over Mexico and even added his third assist, only to be benched for club teammate Noni Madueke next time out against Norway.
Fitness slowly stopped looking like the issue as many assumed Tuchel had taken issue with both Arsenal wingers, with the decision to drop the pair in favor of imminent Chelsea signing Morgan Rogers only fueling that fire.
Tuchel Provides Context for Saka Caution
“I had a feeling after the Norway match that Morgan Rogers had something special to give to us with his physicality and his body in the match against Argentina,” Tuchel confessed. “It was a tough decision for me to leave [Saka] out of the semifinal.
“He was ready to go in the World Cup. I felt still the responsibility as a coach, and with the history given where he came from to take it slow with Bukayo.”
Saka seemingly did not agree with the need for caution, particularly at the later stages of the tournament.
“I’m fit,” he assured fans after the final whistle. “I’m fit.”
Had Saka avoided injury all those months ago and taken his chance earlier than he did, perhaps we would be talking about a trip to the World Cup final for the Three Lions, rather than an underwhelming, albeit impressive, conclusion in the third-place playoff.
“Nothing has changed during this World Cup for me,” Tuchel stressed as he looked to the future. “Bukayo is a fantastic teammate, a fantastic football player, a key player for us. That will not change. He showed it again today. I’m happy for him and happy for us. He’s excellent.”
