Chris Sutton says Mikel Arteta did something against Man City that was ‘out of order’

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Chris Sutton has claimed that Mikel Arteta made a decision against Manchester City that was ‘out of order’.

Arsenal secured a late point at home to Pep Guardiola’s team, thanks to a 93rd-minute equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian exquisitely lifted the ball over the onrushing Gianluigi Donnarumma after being played through on goal by Eberechi Eze.

This came after Erling Haaland’s early strike made the entire game difficult for the Gunners, who ultimately produced a performance which has come under significant scrutiny.

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Chris Sutton says Mikel Arteta leaving Eberechi Eze on the bench against Man City was ‘out of order’

Arteta has been lambasted for his team selection against City, after the Spaniard opted to select Mikel Merino over a more creative midfielder and Leandro Trossard on the left wing.

This meant there was no place in the starting eleven for Eze, who was introduced at half-time and made a significant impact.

Eze was impressive in between the lines for the Gunners, and ultimately created the equalising goal with a stunning clipped pass over the top for Martinelli.

Many felt the England international should’ve been named in the starting line-up, and former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton shares this sentiment.

Speaking on the 606 Football Phone-In show, Sutton said Arteta leaving Eze on the bench was ‘out of order’.

“Why does he do that? Why does he do that?” he asked.

“They might have won the game had they started with them both [Eze and Martinelli]. I’ve got Eze in my fantasy team. Arteta’s out of order.”

While Sutton’s comment was said somewhat in jest, he was still audibly frustrated by Arteta’s decision to go with the pragmatic option.

The Gunners boss will certainly need to be slightly risk-averse moving forward, if his team are to win a major honour this season.

Eberechi Eze’s statistics vs Man City

While it wasn’t a blistering display from Eze, he made a major impact at a key moment in the game, which demonstrated immense quality.

Only on the pitch for 45 minutes, he had 32 touches in the game, regularly finding himself on the ball in pockets of space.

Completing 87% of his passes, creating one big chance and taking a powerful shot that forced a save from Donnarumma, Eze produced more from an offensive sense than anyone else, in what was a sterile match.

This cameo was hugely promising, and Arteta will be encouraged that he can elicit a high level from the new signing as a number ten, when Martin Odegaard is out injured.