Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised the contribution of Eberechi Eze, who is currently not playing.
The England international joined the Gunners from Crystal Palace in the summer and has scored five goals and provided two assists, including a memorable hat-trick against Tottenham.
Still, Eze has been forced to come off the bench in the last few games, and there are naturally questions about his situation.
However, Arteta revealed that he still thinks very highly of Eze, describing the 27-year-old’s “phenomenal” spirit behind the scenes to rejoin the team.
Mikel Arteta praises Eberechi Eze’s efforts behind the scenes
At a press conference ahead of Arsenal’s game against Liverpool, Arteta had only positive things to say about Eze when asked about keeping him on the bench.
It’s clear that the Spanish tactician hasn’t given up on Eze just yet, and fans will be delighted with the excellent response from the player who has recently missed out on a starting XI.
“Ebs has performed exceptionally well, both when he’s playing and when he’s not playing. That’s a big quality that we have in the team,” Arteta said.
When asked to explain what he meant by Eze being exceptional when he’s not playing, Arteta explained:
“The way he trains every day, the way he wants to, the way he tries to accomplish whatever it takes to change my mind.
“He’s been phenomenal, but it hasn’t been easy.
“I’m confident there will be a great version of Ebs.”
Ebelesi Eze struggles to beat Martin Odegaard
See below for a good comparison of how well Martin Odegaard performs in the centre. Now that the Norwegian international has returned from injury, it will definitely be difficult for Eze to start the game…
Of course, Eze can provide quality players out wide, so it could mean he still has a chance to start alongside Odegaard rather than competing with him.
However, as you can see from the graph below, Leandro Trossard has had a great season for Arsenal and has even outperformed Eze when starting out wide.
There’s no doubt that Eze is a great player, as we saw at Crystal Palace, but it’s not entirely clear what his best position is and whether he really fits Arteta’s specific demands in the center or on the outside.
It will be interesting to see how this develops as the season progresses, but Arteta still seems to have high hopes for Eze, even if he hasn’t used him recently.
