Bukayo Saka's Fitness Dilemma Ahead of World Cup
Bukayo Saka knows what it feels like when a season reaches boiling point.
He was in the thick of it as north London erupted, the Premier League trophy finally finding its way back to that corner of the capital after 22 long years. He then carried that momentum onto the biggest stage of all, starting for Arsenal in a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, only to walk away with the hollow ache of a penalty shootout defeat.
Those nights confirmed his status. When Saka is fit, he is central to everything Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to be. The problem is that little word in the middle: fit.
England’s great asset, England’s great concern
The winger has dragged an Achilles issue around with him for too long now. England knew it, Arsenal knew it, and yet here he is again, patched up and pushed towards another major tournament.
When the Three Lions opened their World Cup campaign against Croatia, Saka was not streaking down the right flank. He was watching from the bench, his place in the XI taken by club team-mate Noni Madueke. The message was clear: England will not gamble lightly on a half-fit star.
He has yet to take a full part in training ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Ghana. While the rest of Thomas Tuchel’s squad went through their paces on the grass, Saka stayed inside, following an individual programme, the medical staff hovering, the clock ticking.
That uncertainty has shifted the conversation around him. Is he still a guaranteed starter for a side chasing global glory?
Barnes: “It’s his fitness”
John Barnes, who knows a thing or two about operating on the flank for England, did not hesitate when asked where the debate really lies.
“It's his fitness,” he told GOAL, speaking in association with viagogo and their ‘World Cuts’ campaign. “I mean, his form has been great for Arsenal, but it's his fitness.
“Madueke is fit, so therefore he may be ahead of him at that particular moment in time. So, obviously, Thomas Tuchel will know how fit he is, how much he can influence games. We know the quality he actually has, so I think it's really just down to his fitness. And I don't know how fit he is, how many games he's had, whether Madueke is ahead of him. From a form perspective or a quality perspective, we can see what he can do. So I think his fitness is the biggest issue as to whether he starts for England or not.”
The numbers back up the sense of a stop-start year. Saka finished last season with 11 goals in all competitions, only seven of them in the Premier League. For a player of his talent, that return will always provoke questions.
Barnes, though, brushed those aside.
“His goal output doesn't have to be great if they win the league. And if England wins the World Cup, he doesn't score one goal, it's not important. What's important is him being part of a team that can win.
“Once again, I don't think Thomas Tuchel is looking at individual numbers because if he scores more and Marcus Rashford scores more, you know what that means? Harry Kane will score less.
“So it's about the way you play to create for other people to score. I don't think he'll worry about his goal-scoring form, because it's not about the individual and what he does. If he can be part of a team and help that team to win, then I'm sure his lack of goals isn't going to be an issue.
“It's to do with how the team performs, to create chances for maybe Jude Bellingham and for Harry Kane to score, for them to work hard as a team, to be creative, and yes, they may score the odd goal. So he's looking at the way the team plays, rather than how any individual performs, Thomas Tuchel, which is the right thing to do.”
The message is simple: judge Saka by his influence, not his goal tally. But you can only influence games if your body lets you on the pitch.
Tuchel’s careful gamble
Tuchel has already shown his hand. He will not rush Saka. He will not take needless risks. England’s head coach knows this tournament could stretch deep into the North American summer, and he wants his Arsenal star available when the stakes soar.
Against Croatia, Tuchel chose control. Saka started on the bench, came on when the intensity dipped, and still managed to leave his mark. He played a key role in Marcus Rashford’s goal that sealed a 4-2 win, a reminder that even at less than full tilt, he can tilt a game.
“Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready,” Tuchel said afterwards. “I think once we go to the last game of this group he will be ready.”
That final group match comes against Panama on Saturday. Between now and then, every training session Saka misses sharpens the dilemma. Do England hold him back for the knockouts, or throw him in to sharpen his edge?
For now, he remains the outlier. The only player not involved in the main group session, the only one working alone while Ghana loom on the schedule and Panama wait at the end of Group L.
England know exactly what a fully firing Bukayo Saka can give them. The real question, as this World Cup gathers pace, is whether his body will let him show it when it matters most.
