Following his explosive North London derby performance, away at Chelsea, it was a quieter afternoon for Eberechi Eze in an Arsenal shirt.
The Gunners were held to a somewhat underwhelming 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, with Mikel Merino’s header salvaging a point for the Premier League leaders.
The North London club are now seven unbeaten in SW6 and will be overall content with a point, but there is certainly a feeling that Mikel Arteta’s team could have taken two more.
But one thing is clear: Eze is now a key part of this Arsenal team, and his form is going to be a decisive factor in helping Arsenal win the Premier League.
Alan Smith calls Eberechi Eze a ‘passenger’ vs Chelsea
Alan Smith believes that Eberechi Eze was a ‘passenger’ against Chelsea, admitting the attacker struggled to get into more advanced positions.
Against Tottenham, Eze ran the show, but in the West of the capital, Chelsea managed to stifle him and in turn, that nullified Arsenal’s creativity.
The Gunners created just one big chance at Stamford Bridge, managing just 26 touches and completing just 18 passes in 72 minutes.
During the match, Smith said on Sky Sports’ commentary: “Odegaard hasn’t been so much of a miss because of Ebere Eze, but Eze has been a bit of a passenger out there so far.
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“He hasn’t been able to do what he does best in advanced areas. They need to get him on the ball further up.”
Martin Odegaard faces a battle to start over Eze; however, the match just highlighted the importance of having both players available for when one is underperforming.
There’s no doubting either that Arsenal’s attack also missed Leandro Trossard, who was sidelined for the trip to face Chelsea.
Eberechi Eze is going to be the difference maker in Arsenal’s title bid
There was a point in the summer when Arsenal were ready to overlook him in the transfer window, only until Berta intervened and pushed to sign Eze.
The 27-year-old has proved to be such a key addition for the Gunners, especially whilst Odegaard has been missing.
However, the draw at Stamford Bridge just proved that when Eze is not ticking, it has a significant impact on how Arteta’s team can create chances. The former Crystal Palace star was not the only underperformer at the Bridge, though.
Who was Arsenal’s most disappointing performer against Chelsea?
Who was our weakest player against Chelsea? Let us know in the comments.
It took a moment of brilliance from Bukayo Saka to beat Marc Cucurella and pick out Merino for Arsenal to get anything from the match.
Yes, the North Londoners need others to step up, but Eze’s vital importance to this team is now clear for all to see.
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