THE BUKAYO: THIS Derby-day tension soaring

BUKAYO SAKA is happy being kicked all over the pitch in the hunt for Premier League glory. Make no mistake, the prolific Arsenal winger would prefer not to be booted from pillar to post week in, week out.

However, at the same time he recognises that suffering bruises galore and overcoming the pain is the requirement for an elite player chasing top prizes.

Hence, Saka is adamant he can cope with whatever kicks, trips, bruises and knocks come his way if it helps his beloved Gunners end a 20-year wait to be crowned English champions.

Ahead of today’s pressure-cooker showdown at neighbours Tottenham, the England midfielder delivered his take on being the target for opposition hatchet men.

And how exactly he picks himself up and goes again and again.

Smiling Saka, with 14 goals and eight assists, said: “The hunger to win keeps me going.that’s why I keep getting up. Sometimes it’s not nice, but it’s part of it.

“There’s two elements. The first is the defenders can’t do that all game.

“They will get yellow carded and then have to stop.

“The second is, as an attacking player, you are in the team to score goals, create goals.

“Part of that is going to involve having to beat defenders, and they’re going to try their best to stop you.

“One way they like to stop you is kicking you. But just because you get a kick, you can’t hide away and not do that. Because that is what you are in the team to do.

“I feel like I’m physically much stronger than four or five years ago.

“I have more experience, in terms of which tackles to go for and which to jump to avoid a big tackle.

“So I’m much smarter as well as physically stronger than I was.”

As for the prospect of the most talked about North London derby in many years, Saka, a lifelong Gooner, understands what it is at stake for the supporters.

But this is not the usual hostile, red-hot scrap between the bitterest enemies – not with a league title up for grabs and anything bar victory catastrophic for the visitors’ dreams.

“On the weekend, it’s about more than beating Tottenham,” Saka, 22, added.

“There’s a Premier League title race we are in, we know those points are so important.

“We need to focus on getting three points and try to block everything else out.”

Having watched

Liverpool crash at

Everton in the

Merseyside derby on

Wednesday to lose ground on the leaders and then Manchester City thump Brighton 24 hours later to close the gap, Saka reckons Arsenal have been served a timely warning.

That there can be no slip-ups over their final four games, kicking off at Spurs.

The Three Lions winger said: “I try not to read too much into those games.

“But at the same time it shows you have to be 100 per cent focused every game.

“Each game is like a final for all of us competing for the title, especially Sunday.with it being a North London derby as well, it’s going to be even bigger.”

Each game is like a final for all of us