Eberechi Eze has had a dramatic drop off since scoring a memorable hat-trick against Tottenham and some at Arsenal believe Mikel Arteta is making an example of him.
Eze cost the Gunners another huge sum in the summer window and in the early months of the season, it looked like money well spent.
However, Eze hasn’t started in the Premier League since the first week in December. And while he has contributed off the bench, some already feel there could be a disconnect.
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In fact, according to the Independent’s chief journalist Miguel Delaney, Eze’s sudden removal from the first XI can be traced to one key moment.
The reason why Eberechi Eze has been dropped by Mikel Arteta
We all know that Mikel Arteta is a stickler for details. If he notices something or someone not quite sticking to the plan, then he’ll make it known.
Interestingly, prior to losing against Man United last weekend, Arsenal’s last league defeat came at Aston Villa.
And according to Miguel Delaney, it is this game that players inside the dressing room believe has cost Ebere Eze his place.
“Just a few weeks after that hat-trick vs Spurs. It has been noticed by people around the dressing room how Eze was suddenly not in the team as much just after he failed to properly track Matty Cash for a goal and that 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park,” Delaney wrote.
Eze has failed to register a league goal or assist since that game. And even with Martin Odegaard’s dip in form, he has failed to cement a place back in the XI.
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Ebere Eze learning the hard way at Arsenal
Nobody expects Eze to be a defensive stalwart. Except, it seems, Mikel Arteta.
Unfortunately for Eze, for all his qualities in the final third and how good he is with the ball, at the very very top, managers value what you do without the ball just as much.
This is where Eze is learning a harsh lesson. There is no doubting his ability and clearly, Mikel Arteta rates him a lot.
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But if you aren’t doing your bit for the team going towards your own goal, then you simply won’t make it under this current Arsenal regime.
It’s that simple, and there’s only Eze himself who can work to put things right.
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