Bukayo Saka has been one of the many shining lights of Arsenal's blistering start to the 2022/23 campaign with the Englishman scoring five goals and notching six assists from his 19 appearances so far this season.
Forming a deadly attacking quartet with Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus, Saka has particularly thrived this season, and despite arguably being the Gunners' best performer in recent years, he has reached new heights this this campaign.
Following a difficult 2021 summer, where Saka missed the England's final penalty in the final of the European Championships, the Hale End graduate could have very easily seen his career take a downward spiral but instead he has since thrived in an Arsenal shirt.
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Although the Gunners were unable to achieve a top four finish last season, Saka grabbed 11 goals and seven assists in the Premier League and has undoubtedly used the momentum built up from last season for the current campaign.
His manager Mikel Arteta, one of the people who arguably knows him best, has spoken on the impact the penalty miss had on Saka. While he reiterated the importance of the support Saka had around him, Arteta also explained how the moment has helped the youngster.
"First of all Gareth and all the coaching staff were very supportive and good with him," Arteta told reporters. "That was really important because it was the first period after it. He’s been in every stadium in this country and the way they treat him and the way they show appreciation about him is great. He needed that.
"Experiences make you tougher and better if they don’t get you down too much. I think he reacted in a great way. I think the support and the recognition that he got from world football was great and it helped him to develop into a better player.
"He’s embraced it and now he’s a better player because of it. We have talked about that and not only what he’s been through but what is coming and he’s preparing every single day for that because the demands are going to be there.
"If you want to take your game to the next level and win football matches every three days, you have to have a responsibility to yourself and that will add pressure from your own standards and as well externally. If you want to become that player – and that’s his ambition – you have to deal with it. It’s simple."
And Saka has certainly bounced back from the penalty miss as he is now Arsenal's designated penalty taker with one of his Premier League goals this season coming from the spot in a high-pressure fixture against Liverpool where the game was on a knife-edge.
He has also fired in from 12 yards in important games against 'big six' opposition against both Manchester United and Chelsea, and based on the experience he now has in those moments, many would likely back him from the spot if he was to take a penalty for England in a shoot-out at the World Cup.
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