Bukayo Saka [Pedro-Soares/SPP]

MIKEL Arteta’s mind games appear to be working yet again, and rival defences should be very, very worried.

The Arsenal manager “killed” Bukayo Saka in the press this week, challenging the winger to start scoring “two or three” goals a game.

Saka responded by finding the back of the net just six minutes after stepping onto the pitch against Lille on Tuesday in the Champions League.

It’s all part of Arteta’s masterplan to help Saka become “the best version of himself” possible.

The England international has only reached the 20-goal mark once so far in his career back in the 2023-24 campaign, when he scored 16 in the Premier League and four in the Champions League.

This season Saka has already scored four at club level. The 25-year-old has also been in good goalscoring form for England, hitting five in his last four matches.

Saka’s stats have come under the spotlight following remarks made ahead of the game against Lille.

Asked if Saka should be targeting 20 goals a season, Arteta said: “No, I think the numbers should go to score two or three per game. That’s it. That’s the mindset. And then if you score one, so be it, you score two, so be it, because he has the ability to score in many ways.

“If you go ‘20, OK, now we are in October, I still have eight months to score 17 more goals’. That’s not the mindset, that’s not going to take you there.”

Well, now Saka only needs 16 more to repeat that 20-goal tally.

After watching Arsenal’s “Starboy” step off the bench to score against Lille, Arteta said: “He wasn’t feeling too good yesterday and today because he had a sort of illness; he wasn’t ready to start, but he was really keen to contribute to the team if it was needed.

“He came on and had a real impact, with real quality.”

Laughing about the challenge he set Saka in the week, the Spaniard added: “After the press conference, I went and he was on the massage table, and I said: ‘Bukayo, I just killed you in the press conference, good luck tomorrow!’ and he was laughing. He knows me, he knows we have these kind of things, and he takes it because he wants to be the best version of himself.

“In order to do that, you have to set big objectives and challenges and try to raise them, by working, and being consistent – and he has the ability to do it.”

With a testing trip to Nottingham Forest up next in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, the Gunners face another quick turnaround.

Arteta said: “It’s difficult in the Champions League – Lille are a brilliant team. But winning helps, and the energy will be good when we start to prepare for the Sunday game.”