Theo Walcott: Saka s substitution proves that no one at Arsenal is safe and champions rarely concede goals

In Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, although Saka wore the captain's armband, he was replaced by Martinelli in the 66th minute. Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott believes the substitution shows "no one is safe in Arteta's team".

Saka served as Arsenal captain in the absence of Odegaard, but was still replaced by Arteta in the 66th minute of last night's game. Arteta used up 5 substitutions, Saliba and Rice were replaced due to injuries. In addition, Saka's performance on the right wing was mediocre, so he was also replaced. Gabriel wore the captain's armband in the last 30 minutes.

"Saka was replaced early today, but I like this because it shows that no one is safe." Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott said in an interview with the BBC.

However, Arteta has a different explanation for this. He revealed that Saka has been ill recently and was replaced in order to avoid the risk of injury. "Saka is sick and hasn't really trained, so we don't know if he will be able to play. He worked hard to be able to play today," the Arsenal coach said.

"The doctor also gave us good guidance to help him play in the best condition. But the more he plays, the more fatigued he becomes, the greater the risk of injury. We don't want to take this risk."

Arsenal are currently unbeaten in 10 consecutive games in all competitions and have only conceded 3 goals this season. Although they did not perform well in this game, they still won in the end.

Walcott was impressed by Arsenal's performance. "Arsenal can now play well against any opponent. Championship teams in the past rarely conceded goals, and now Arsenal also have the confidence to create opportunities and seize them."

"This weekend, many teams that were expected to win underperformed. Arsenal can get points this year even if they perform poorly. I think this is the credit of Arteta. He kept the team highly focused throughout the game."