[The Athletic] How Saka creates his own crossing angles

Whether it's a 1v1 situation or even taking on two defenders, Bukayo Saka's ability is undeniable.

Saka uses his unique speed and dribbling prowess to easily beat defenders, securing the space and time needed for his next move.

But what's even more impressive is his decision-making and timing, which allow him to create his own shooting or crossing angles.

These split-second 0.1 decisions are made subconsciously by all players, a product of years of on-field experience. Saka doesn't stop and think about the opponent's body position or stance. He’s operating at a higher level—pure instinctive and automatic reactions.

Let's look at the example from the 2-0 win against Olympiacos last October. Saka was facing opponent left-back Francisco Ortega 1v1. Saka first rolls the ball with his left foot, attempting to dribble toward the byline, but the decisive moment comes immediately after.

Aware that Saka is comfortable using his right foot, Ortega extends his left foot to block the expected cross. But right at that moment, Saka takes one more touch with his right foot, beating the defender, and then connecting a cutback to Martin Ødegaard.

The moment Ortega stretches his left foot to block the cross, there’s a momentary delay before he can return to a running posture. Saka exploited this gap by hitting the ball out with his right foot instead of crossing. This gave him a subtle edge, allowing him to find Ødegaard surging into the penalty box.

Saka’s ability to deliver crosses with both his left and right foot forces the opposing defender to commit to one direction or slows down their reaction. This buys Saka time to dictate the situation and dribble at the appropriate moment.

Here is another example from the 4-0 thrashing of Atlético Madrid in the same month. Martín Zubimendi steals the ball in midfield and passes it, putting Saka 1v1 against José María Giménez.

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Saka doesn't rush the attack and executes a fake dribble movement, cutting inwards. This briefly stops Giménez, who anticipated Saka changing direction to cut inside using his left foot.

Note that Giménez has both feet planted and his weight distributed evenly to brace for the change of direction. Saka perfectly captures the exact moment the defender attempts to return to his original posture to launch his dribble.

This movement creates the crossing angle. Thanks to his ability to dribble with his left and cross with his right, he was able to find Gabriel Martinelli at the far post before Giménez could close down the angle. However, Martinelli was flagged offside.

Another secret to Saka's angle creation is knowing when to take that extra touch.

Let's look at the situation against Chelsea last month, which ended 1-1. Saka drives the ball toward the byline with his left foot, and then...

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...he uses his right foot to cut inside, halting the movements of Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah.

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For Cucurella and Chalobah to change direction, they first have to shift their weight onto their left foot. Just as Cucurella plants his weight and Chalobah is lifting his left heel, Saka takes the decisive touch with his left foot.

The timing of Saka's touch, performed precisely as Cucurella and Chalobah were repositioning themselves, was absolutely perfect.

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This touch secured Saka the crossing angle, and he found Mikel Merino, who headed it into the net.

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Let's look at another example from Saturday's 2-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Fer Lopes didn't press Saka tightly, allowing Saka time to look for the right moment.

While it's true Lopes didn't apply enough pressure, Saka calmly timed his inward dribble perfectly. He waited until Lopes was shifting his weight from his right foot to his left to change direction.

Since Lopes was moving in the opposite direction, with his weight loaded onto the leg farthest from the ball, Saka's inward breakthrough touch created the crossing angle.

Saka then drove the ball into the penalty box, which led to an own goal header by Jerson Mosquera, securing three points for Arsenal.