Bukayo Saka's Fitness Challenge Ahead of World Cup

Bukayo Saka knows what it feels like when a stadium shakes for him.

He was at the heart of the chaos in north London when the Premier League trophy finally came back to Arsenal’s corner of the capital after 22 long years. He then walked out on the biggest stage of all, starting for the Gunners in a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, only to leave with the sting of a penalty shootout defeat.

On form, on talent, on temperament, there is no question about his importance to Mikel Arteta – or to England. His body, though, keeps interrupting the story.

England’s jewel, wrapped in cotton wool

Saka has dragged a nagging Achilles problem into this World Cup. It has become a familiar theme: when he is “fit and firing”, he changes games; when he is not, he becomes a delicate calculation for club and country.

That equation pushed him to the bench as England opened their campaign against Croatia. Noni Madueke, his Arsenal team-mate and direct rival for the right-wing berth, got the nod from Thomas Tuchel. Saka watched the start of England’s tournament from the sidelines, then from the touchline, waiting.

He has not yet taken a full part in training as Ghana loom on Tuesday. While the rest of the squad worked on the grass over the weekend, Saka stayed indoors, following an individual programme, England’s staff weighing every step against the hope of a long stay in North America.

Barnes: “It’s his fitness”

For John Barnes, the debate is simple. Speaking to GOAL in association with viagogo’s “World Cuts” campaign, the former England winger stripped the argument down to its core.

“It's his fitness. I mean, his form has been great for Arsenal, but it's his fitness,” Barnes said.

“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 wide forward of his stature, that tally inevitably draws scrutiny.

Barnes is unmoved.

Goals secondary to glory

“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,” he said.

“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.”

This is the lens through which England are viewing Saka: not as a fantasy-football asset, but as a high-end cog in a machine built to carry Kane, Bellingham and others to decisive moments.

Tuchel’s careful gamble

Tuchel has promised to handle Saka with care, and his first move of the tournament reflected that. Against Croatia, Saka came on from the bench, not to chase lost minutes, but to sharpen England’s edge. He duly played a leading part in the move that ended with Marcus Rashford finishing off a 4-2 win.

Afterwards, Tuchel sounded like a coach with a plan rather than a concern.

“Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready. I think once we go to the last game of this group he will be ready,” the German said.

That last group game is against Panama on Saturday. Between now and then lies Ghana, and a decision.

Does Tuchel hold Saka back again, preserving him for what England hope will be the deeper, harsher stages of a World Cup run? Or does he trust that one of his most gifted players can finally shake off the ache and reclaim his place from a team-mate who is fully fit and flying?

For now, the image of Saka working alone indoors while the rest of the squad press and sprint on the grass tells its own story. England know exactly how good he is. The question, once more, is whether his body will let him show it when the stakes rise.