The Premier League is back, and it’s a massive weekend for Arsenal.
On the one hand, title rivals Manchester City have to play away to Newcastle United; on the other, they host bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Moreover, while Mikel Arteta has usually gotten the better of the Lilywhites, he’ll have to make do with defensive stalwart Gabriel Magalhaes.
With that said, the Gunners should still come out with all three points, especially if Arteta drops Eberechi Eze for one of his most important players.
Why Eze should be dropped
So, the first thing to make clear is that Eze is an outrageously talented footballer who will undoubtedly play a large part in Arsenal’s season as the year goes on.
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However, it would be fair to say that what is equally true is that he’s yet to show his full breathtaking ability in red and white, and therefore, should probably drop to the bench in this vital game.
After all, while he has racked up two goals and three assists for the team, he has just one goal involvement in the last six league games, and can, at times, go missing.
Now, if this were last season, there would be a solid argument for moving him out to the left, but Leandro Trossard has rolled back the years and is, frankly, undroppable.
So far, the Belgian has racked up eight goal involvements for the North Londoners, of which three have come in the last four league games.
Therefore, the former Crystal Palace star might be best served coming off the bench late into the game, as his ability to produce moments of magic is second to none.
Then, in his place, Arteta should bring one of the club’s best players back into the lineup, someone who has been compared to Dennis Bergkamp.
The Arsenal star who should replace Eze
While it would be a surprising move, Arteta should look to play Martin Odegaard instead of Eze tomorrow afternoon.
Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, this is predicated on the Norwegian being fit enough to start.
However, considering he was training with the first team earlier in the week and the manager was rather vague about his status, it feels like he might be.
Moreover, it’s not as if the Spaniard doesn’t have a track record of suddenly bringing players straight back into the side.
With all that said, why should the 26-year-old come back into the side for this game?
Well, beyond him being the captain and this being a heated derby, he adds an element of control and metronomic understanding to the midfield that Eze doesn’t.
Moreover, on top of leading the press, the former Real Madrid wonderkid can play a sensationally weighted pass in behind a defence, which is what he was starting to do again before his recent injury.
It’s this ability to see a chance before most other players and act on it that led former Arsenal star Ray Parlour to describe the Drammen-born ace as “very similar” to the legendary Bergkamp.
The 67-capped Norwegian obviously isn’t on the same level as the Invincible, but that is something he shares with him.
Appearances
205
Starts
177
Minutes
15595′
Goals
41
Assists
40
Goal Involvements per Match
0.39
Minutes per Goal Involvement
192.53′
Finally, even though he had a poor campaign last season, the former dynamic difference-maker still has an excellent record, producing 81 goal involvements in 205 appearances.
Ultimately, so long as he’s fit enough to start, Arteta should replace Eze with Odegaard for Arsenal’s game on Sunday.
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