Victory against Bayer Leverkusen should have given Mikel Arteta more answers than just questions about his selection of Arsenal squad for the remainder of the season.
Needless to say, it was as professional as a second leg could be. The Gunners pushed the Bundesliga side aside and quickly shifted their focus to Sunday’s mammoth Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
With the final just days away, Arteta should have a simple choice when choosing his Wembley starting squad, but Arsenal’s side have had some battles in recent weeks. And Eberechi Eze may have just achieved his victory.
How Arteta revived Arsenal’s front line
In a week where Manchester City and Chelsea were succumbed to European giants, it’s worth reflecting on how Arsenal can improve and avoid a similar outcome in the future.
The Gunners weren’t perfect in both matches against Leverkusen. A second-half penalty was needed to salvage a draw in the first leg, but their struggles in open play once again hit the headlines. There were still fears of an upset at the Emirates.
But where there are important games, it looks like big moments will come from Eze. The former Crystal Palace man continues to produce special moments of quality as Arsenal struggle in their opening games.
There are many ways to break down a low block, but hitting a half-volley into the top corner has to be the most satisfying, although some in the Premier League seem to think otherwise.
But Eze is not the only solution Arsenal have at their disposal. They acquired a record-breaking player in Max Dauman. He already created two chances against Everton last weekend, completing two dribbles in just 16 minutes.
Both are in great form, but that’s a big problem for one of the highest-paid players at the Emirates Stadium.
Eze and Dauman are bad news for Arsenal’s mainstays
There was a time when Martin Odegaard was arguably north London’s chief creator. Arsenal’s attack ran through both him and Bukayo Saka. The current trend is to stick with Declan Rice, the set-piece threat of Gabriel and the increasingly important presence of Eze. So what happens to Odegaard?
The Norwegian wears the captain’s armband, but with someone like Rice, is he really a leader?
He is supposed to be a creator, but he assisted six goals in the Premier League in a season that was interrupted due to injury problems. And given his injury history and his creative attributes, the Gunners are unlikely to focus on Odegaard physically.
Arsenal 25/26 | with Odegaard | No Odegaard |
|---|---|---|
game | 26 | twenty two |
victory | 19 | 18 |
draw | 4 | 4 |
defeat | 3 | 0 |
Number of points | 57 | 47 |
Number of goals conceded | twenty one | 10 |
Numbers don’t lie. When Odegaard was playing this season, Arsenal’s defensive numbers were significantly worse than when he was not in the team.
Ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, Arteta needs to ask himself whether it’s worth adding more goals to his team, despite the obvious drop in defensive work as a result.
If the answer is no, then you have to choose Eze over Odegaard. The champion-selected team is undefeated even without their captain, but this should also be seen as a terrible statistic.
Moreover, if you take a closer look at Odegaard’s defensive numbers, it is clear that if he is not creative, Arsenal themselves are passengers.
On average, Arsenal’s fifth-highest paid player in the Premier League this season has won just 1.42 tackles won, 0.58 interceptions made and won just 44.9% of his duels. The negative effects on his performance outweigh the positive effects.
It is not an easy decision to ignore his captain, but Arteta has clear evidence that Arsenal are no longer a good team with Odegaard on the pitch and must make a decision about his role for the rest of the campaign. But for now, it will have to be either Eze or Dauman who starts ahead of him.
He was a monster vs. Leverkusen: Arsenal found a hybrid of Gabriel and Saliba
Gabriel and William Saliba have provided the foundation for Arsenal’s success, but one player has proven to be in the mix between these two defenders.
