Bukayo Saka has insisted that he and his Arsenal teammates have been relishing the Premier League title race against Manchester City. The Gunners currently lead Pep Guardiola's side by a point, but the reigning champions have a game in hand – which could prove pivotal by the end of the campaign.
Last term, Arsenal established a five-point lead over Manchester City before stumbling at the final hurdle after losing William Saliba due to injury. This season, Saka has been determined to finally get his hands on some silverware, taking the treble winners down to the wire.
The 22-year-old winger, who fired the Gunners to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth at the weekend, has featured 34 times in the English top flight, scoring 16 goals and providing nine assists. He's placed a crucial role for Artea's side, stepping up in some big games against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea.
«You can see it in two ways,» said Saka, as quoted by the Evening Standard. «You can either view it as frustrating or as a beautiful challenge. Everybody knows [City] are one of the best teams in the world, they have been on the top for the past five years, challenging for everything.
»So, for ourselves to be up there competing with them is good. We are pushing them the whole way and let's see what happens. But we're not getting frustrated, we see it as a challenge that we want to fight until the end. They have set a standard and it's up to the rest of us to try to be better than them."
Saka has been on the receiving end of some nasty tackles this season, yet he's only missed games due to injury. The Hale End graduate added: «I try to avoid the big tackles, so I think I'm much smarter now, as well as being more physical.
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