Eberechi Eze’s Struggles to Secure a Starting Role at Arsenal

Eberechi Eze has played a mere 23 minutes across Arsenal’s last six Premier League matches.

The England international made headlines earlier this season with a remarkable hat-trick in a 4-1 victory against rivals Tottenham in November. However, his recent performances have left him struggling to earn a spot in the starting lineup.

Notably, Eze was an unused substitute in four of those last six league fixtures. Signed from Crystal Palace in August for £67 million, he was brought on board to enhance Arsenal’s attacking creativity. His ability to shoot from distance and break down defenses quickly adds a distinctive flair to the team’s forward line that is unmatched by many others in the squad.

It becomes even more puzzling that Eze featured for just over 10 minutes in the recent goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, matches where Arsenal did not concede a shot on target.

If Eze cannot demonstrate his talents when the team requires a breakthrough, speculations about his fit within Mikel Arteta’s strategy will persist.

This season, Eze has recorded five goals and four assists in 26 appearances for Arsenal, but he has not found the net since his hat-trick against Spurs.

Since the beginning of the year, his only starts have come in the FA Cup win over Portsmouth and a recent Champions League match against Inter Milan, where he played 64 minutes and contributed to the Gunners’ opening goal in a 3-1 victory. However, his performance did not meet the high expectations set for him.

Eze’s struggle to regain a starting position can be largely attributed to the return of Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal’s captain, who has been instrumental since returning to full fitness at the end of November. Ødegaard has started eight of the last ten Premier League fixtures, and both he and Eze occupy similar roles, complicating their simultaneous inclusion in the lineup.

Eze is also capable of playing on the left wing, where he previously excelled at Crystal Palace, albeit from a narrower attacking position. However, his chances in that role are limited due to the formidable form of Leandro Trossard, one of Arsenal’s standout players this season.

Arteta has acknowledged this challenge but maintains that Eze possesses the intelligence and skill to adapt to various positions on the field. “He is that intelligent, and that good as a footballer, that he can occupy any space. I am more driven to decide where he plays in relation to the players around him than his position,” Arteta mentioned prior to the draw against Liverpool.

Eze’s opportunities from the left wing have been few and far between; his last outing there was against Aston Villa, where he struggled defensively, contributing to a 2-1 defeat.

Despite these challenges, Arteta has praised Eze’s exceptional attitude during his period on the bench, noting that his desire for improvement has only intensified.

As of January, Eze had participated in five more matches and accumulated 75 more minutes of play compared to the same stage of his previous season at Palace. While this season has seen him more active than ever in the Premier League, he has yet to reach the same level of game time he achieved at QPR in the Championship back in 2019-20.

Arsenal is enjoying a stellar season, currently seven points clear in the Premier League, maintaining a perfect record in the Champions League, leading Chelsea in their Carabao Cup semi-final, and advancing in the FA Cup.

Although Eze is still receiving some game time, it has not been regular in the Premier League. As a favorite of manager Thomas Tuchel, he is eager to secure a spot in England’s World Cup squad, knowing that merely being a good teammate is insufficient.

If Eze gets a rare opportunity to start against Manchester United in the upcoming Premier League clash, he must seize the moment to justify Arsenal’s investment in him.