Xhaka tips Saka to bounce back from his missed penalty against West Ham

Bukayo Saka's Arsenal team-mates have no concerns over the winger’s mindset after he missed a crucial penalty in Sunday’s draw at West Ham, with Granit Xhaka insisting: ‘He’s so strong mentally. We are not worried about him.’

Saka had the chance to give Arsenal a 3-1 lead at the London Stadium on Sunday, only to miss the target from 12 yards. Two minutes later, Jarrod Bowen equalised for West Ham to put a huge dent in Arsenal’s title ambitions.

It was Saka’s first penalty miss for Arsenal and his first setback from the spot since the Euro 2020 final with England.

‘We don’t need to blame anybody, not Bukayo, not any player,’ Xhaka said. ‘It happens, not only to him but to bigger, bigger players. This is part of the job, part of his career. It will not be the first and it will not be the last… so if there is another penalty on Friday (against Southampton), I will push him to take it again.’

The midfielder expects Saka to bounce back immediately, adding ‘This guy is so young, he’s 21… he needs our support maybe more now than before. He is young and this is one more experience for his future. But, I think he is so strong mentally that he will show a reaction on Friday.’

The draw at West Ham means Arsenal’s lead over Manchester City is now just four points. Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand and the two teams meet at the Etihad next week.

Arsenal have let 2-0 leads slip in consecutive matches but Xhaka insisted: ‘I am not worried too much. If someone thinks that we go through this season in the last eight games without any dropped points or winning and smashing the teams, I think you are not in the right position.’

He added: ‘I am sure that you will see a reaction on Friday.’

The 30-year-old also called for unity from his team-mates heading into a huge 10 days in the title race.

‘If something is not going well, it is easy to show the finger to someone else. Now, it is the time to be together because there are seven games to go. We took this challenge until now and nobody was thinking about this before the season.’