Former Manchester United goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, has called out Arsenal forward, Bukayo Saka following the Gunners’s 1-0 defeat to PSG in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
He feels the England player had a quiet outing during the clash against the French side as the Gunners disappointed their fans at the Emirates Stadium.
Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike sealed a vital win for Luis Enrique’s side, who now have one foot in the final in Munich.
Mikel Arteta’s men gave a spirited performance on the night, but could not find back of the net.
Brazil winger, Gabriel Martinelli forced PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to pull off a superb save in first-half stoppage time.
Mikel Merino’s second-half header goal was ruled due to offside by VAR.
While speaking on CBS Sports’ post-match coverage, Schmeichel noted that a good number of Gunners’ big players were poor on the night.
When it was suggested that the Gunners’ performance against PSG was due to the absence of Partey, the former goalkeeper said, “Do you think it was just that? Because I have a feeling that it was too many of the big players not turning up today.
“I thought Saka was very, very quiet. It was just a little bit of both [Saka having an off day and PSG keeping him quiet], a little bit of both. He just looked a little bit tired if I’m honest.
“When he got the opportunities to actually challenge [Nuno] Mendes, he just didn’t have that extra bit of Saka magic we’ve seen before,”; he added.
Mikel Arteta’s side will now travel to Paris hoping to catch PSG on bad day and claim a 2-0 victory over the Parisians.
