The name on everyone’s lips is none other than Eberechi Eze, for Arsenal fans at least. The former QPR man was the star of the show, plundering three well taken goals against Spurs at the weekend. There was much up for this season. Instead, his faith that earned him his dream move to Arsenal came to the fore yet again on Sunday. It was truly a performance to remember as he etched his name into the history books with the hat trick. Prior to his derby heroics, you would not be entirely wrong to say he has struggled in patches this season. He has by no means been poor, but you do get what I mean. We saw him at a very top level against Spurs and his relationship with one of his teammates was particularly fascinating.
Eze And Merino’s Interchanging Movement
Mikel Merino lined up as the centre forward yet again amid the ongoing absence of Viktor Gyökeres and Kai Havertz. The Spaniard caused Tottenham all sorts of problems with his movement and that was particularly beneficial for Eze. The attacking midfielder often swapped positions with Merino throughout the encounter, while also exploiting the space left by the makeshift centre forward. All his goals were taken from positions a regular centre forward would occupy, and his third goal is a particularly great example. Eze arrived on the edge of the box to finish off a move that involved Merino in the build up. He ran beyond the Spaniard, exploiting the space left by a porous Spurs defence before finishing with deadly accuracy in the seventy sixth minute. His combination, particularly the movement, with Merino unlocked the Tottenham defence on a few occasions and that might be the best way to get the best out of Eze on a regular basis.
What Happens When Gyökeres And Ødegaard Return
That said, the return of Viktor Gyökeres will be timely for Arsenal. The Sweden international has proven he can create space for his teammates in a completely different way and I am sure we will see Eze thrive with him spearheading the attack.
The return of Martin Ødegaard is just around the corner and that could signal a return to the left flank for the former QPR man. With this in mind, I would like to get your opinions on it Gooners. Would Eze thrive on the left wing when Ødegaard returns?
Or has Eze just proven he is the best man for the no.10 role?
Benjamin Kenneth
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Eze ia In possession. Great competition for places and Ide has to earn his spt back as he hasn’t been at his best for a while due to.injuries.
Also.Trossard has I think 4 goals.in last 5 games.so he isn’t getting dropped anytime soon
Gyo will replace Merino
Hincapie will have a run of games now.which is again great for the team
Lets see who Arteta picks to start against Bayern and also cheese on weekend.
For me Chelsea is currently the bigger game as we go 9 pts clear of them by winning. If we draw with Bayern we are still in a good position to qualify from CL… but then again everyone will want to play against Bsyern
So agaiant Bayern
Raya
Timber Salina Hincapie MLS
Zuba Rice Eze
Saka Merino Trossard
Against Chelsea
Similar but Calafiori for MLS and Gyo for Merino
Better not change what’s currently working well, i.e. Eze in the CAM position swapping position with Merino in the false-nine or CF position when we have the ball
Eze has been tried in the LW and in Odegaard’s position, but he was highly inconsistent there
It’s obvious that Eze doesn’t possess the physicality to play false-nine, nor can he unlock defenses with through passes from the CAM and Odegaard’s positions
Let him keep playing behind Merino to fully utilize his excellent shooting skills
We should only change the front-line setup if the EPL managers manage to counter that tactic
@Gai it doesn’t make sense to buy a NO9 in Gyokeres who will not play regularly. Against a very physical opposition like when we played New Castle, Merino may not thrive as a false9 because he doesn’t have the physicality to compete in such match
. Geokeres will thrive in many game due to his physical strength and ability to distract defenders.
There many games where Merino go quiet on the field.
Imo, the coach must find a way to get Eze to play very well in whatever formation and players he chooses.
One thing I am sure of is Arteta will not bench Gyokeres when fit. He needs to get really used to Epl and playing with his team mates.
It’s normal for rich EPL teams to bench their £35+m underperformers, as happened to Nunez/ Oxlade-Chamberlain at Liverpool, Willock at Newcastle, Hojlund/ Zirkzee/ Antony at Man United and Smith-Rowe at Fulham
I wouldn’t be surprised if Liverpool sell Isak/ Wirtz in June 2027 and it could happen to Gyokeres too since he’s not as technical as Merino
What about the ball to rice on the weekend and the ball through to Martinelli for the equaliser against Man city?
Two assists from eleven EPL appearances isn’t a good stat for a £60m + £7.5m creative attacking midfielder
GAI are u high right now? Eze has more than two assists in the epl come on. You keep looking for what a player isn’t doing very well rather than highlighting those things he does brilliantly. Eze makes good passes.
Sorry, meant to say Eze would have had more than 2 assists in the epl right now if the players took their chances well.
Apart from those two assists in EPL, Eze was unable to produce incisive through balls in the final-third for his Arsenal teammates
This is because most EPL teams assign around nine outfield players in their areas when playing against us, unlike what Eze faced when he played for Crystal Palace
Did you see Merino’s through balls to Trossard in NLD? Eze should’ve been able to produce super easy chances like that, but his best position is currently occupied by Rice
So, let him maximize his other qualities, which is his abilities in tight spaces and shooting
gotanidea,
Did you not see Eze’s ball to Rice to create the first real chance on Sunday. 🤷♂️
Neither Merino or Gyokores will be starting once Havertz returns. The big German is the final piece of the puzzle. Odegaard and Gyokores will be useful but for me the combo of Eze behind Havertz will get us the most goals.
😂
Not going to let go of the Havertz talk i see buddy .
The great German striker.😂
Yes the former Crystal Palace Man can thrive with a false nine and will, but first I will try to explain why.
Eze main strength lies in a central creative role, where he can best utilize his dribbling, vision and passing range in tight spaces between the lines, this position allows him the freedom to roam the attacking third, scores goals and provide assists.
At Palce where he plays mainly as an attacking eight, he fits the bill perfect into a 4 3 3 formation.
Wherever he plays he should not be shackled, his ball carrying ability. from deeper areas has resulted into his Hollywood passes such as the one that leads to the leveler against the Citizens.
Merino.
Trossard. Eze. Saka.
Rice. Zubimendi.
Skelly. Hincapie. Saliba. Timber.
Raya.
Subs – Kepa, Calafiori, Mosquera, White, Norgaard, Odegaard, Martinelli, Madueke, Nwaneri.
It seems Gunners are still preoccupied with Spurs thumping and almost forgot they’ve a top team decider tonight v Bayern in UCL. If Bayern thump us, it may break our momentum and burst the bubble given Chelsea’s convincing 3-0 win v Barca. So first thing first Gunners! Facing Chelsea after win or after loss have different effects. Even JA talks nothing about Bayern and Kane and Olise and the UCL. This mute situation gives Bayern an advantage.
Damn right.. people are too distracted to see the enemy before us
We need to beat Bayern for confidence boost but a draw won’t be a bad result.
The Chelsea game is the most important.
If not today, when is the time to beat Bayern? Need to avenge for those 5-1s and declare we’re not only top of England but Europe as well. Then after Sunday’s win top of the Universe as Chelsea are holders of the CWC.
For me I to would like to see us beat Bayern for the reasons already stated.
But that said, with 4 wins from 4. We do have a bit of wiggle room here, win lose or draw we’ll still be well placed. And another 2 wins from the last 3 games should be enough.
Although being the Champions League nothing should be taken for granted. But we would have been happy to be in this position at the start.
Come on you Gunners, keep that momentum moving forward. 👍
I see Max Dowman scored twice in our under 19’s 4-2 win against Bayern Munich earlier today.
Hopefully the first team can emulate them. 🤞
Derek, have you seen his second goal ? Amazing skill for a 15 year old.
Herr Drier,
Yes I’ve seen the goal. Not bad was it. 😂👍