England lost 1-0 to Iceland in their final preparation match before the European Championships in a dismal performance at Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal stars Aaron Ramsdale and Declan Rice started the match, but neither covered themselves in glory as the visitors opened the scoring within the first 15 minutes.
England’s midfield was carved open, and Rice, who has been outstanding for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side all season, is one of several players who could have done better to close the ball down in the build-up to the goal.
Fans were also concerned about Ramsdale’s display, who was making a rare start, as many argued that he should have done better to save the shot.
There were poor performances from big-name stars in Harry Kane and Phil Foden, and the entire team will acknowledge that their level has to improve if they are to succeed in Germany. Despite this, one Arsenal star was particularly highlighted after the defeat.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka receives unfair treatment after England defeat
Despite only coming on as a substitute for the final 25 minutes of the game, Arsenal star Bukayo Saka was front and centre as the media criticised England’s display, and fans were outraged that the 22-year-old was the surprise focus of negative coverage over anyone else.
The Arsenal star has performed superbly for England in the last few years, and Saka has been awarded the number seven shirt for the tournament in Germany. However, he received abuse after he missed a penalty in the shootout of the Euro 2021 final, and these sentiments have perhaps not gone away in some corners.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has now launched a strong defence of Saka and other England stars who have faced unfairly harsh criticism, and called for fans to stand by their stars.
“Now more than ever let’s get behind & support these young people. We can all see what’s happening & who’s being set up to be the face of defeat. We are going to be gas-lit with explanations & justifications, but those deciding who goes on the back pages know what they’re doing. Let’s keep our energy focused on giving these players pure love & support throughout the tournament,” he posted on X.
Bukayo Saka deserves more respect given his outstanding performance levels
Saka is perhaps Arsenal’s most popular player given his journey from the Hale End Academy to the Arsenal first team, and he delivered yet another outstanding campaign this season.
The winger scored 20 goals and assisted 14 times across 47 appearances for Arsenal this season, and shone in his first season in the Champions League.
Arsenal fans were surprised when Saka was not voted in the top three for the Player of the Season award, which was won by Martin Odegaard, and all season long, the attacker has had to deal with criticism.
Rio Ferdinand questioned whether he was “world-class” after a spectacular run of form, and was lambasted by Arsenal fans for criticising a player who deserved praise.
Saka is England’s second-highest scorer in the Euros squad, and after a stunning World Cup campaign in Qatar, is ready to take Germany by storm, and Wright has now rightfully called out those who will try and tear down a young player who is currently thriving at the highest level of football.