It has been a few days since Arsenal’s win over Wolves, but fans are still annoyed by that performance.
The Gunners went into the game as the favourites, as they should’ve been. They were at the top of the Premier League table and were facing a side who were rock bottom. Tim Sherwood even predicted that Viktor Gyokeres would score a hat-trick – that’s how one-sided the game was expected to be.
However, Arsenal were terrible for large parts of the fixture, and apart from Bukayo Saka, not a single player impressed at the Emirates.
One player who was well below his own high standards was Eberechi Eze. A key stat proves it.
Who is ending the season with more goal contributions? Eberechi Eze or Martin Odegaard?
Arsenal players dominate final-third passes list after Wolves win but there’s no Eberechi Eze
Arsenal signed Eze to unlock stubborn low blocks.
The Gunners constantly face teams who sit deep and defend because clubs know they will get hammered if they try to go toe-to-toe with Mikel Arteta’s side.
Wolves, who tried to play expansive football against Manchester United just a few days before, deployed a low block and frustrated Arsenal for large parts of the game.
The Gunners needed their key players to step up and unlock Wolves’ defence with accurate final-third passes, and many tried.
Across the Premier League in gameweek 16, the top three players with the most successful final third passes played for Arsenal – Martin Zubimendi (24), Jurrien Timber (23) and Saka (23).
Declan Rice ranked fifth with 21 successful final third passes, but Eze, who started as Arsenal’s number 10, was nowhere on that list.
Forget final third passes; the former Crystal Palace star only completed 22 passes overall during his time on the pitch, which is simply not good enough.
The fact that defensive players like Timber and Zubimendi completed more successful balls into the final third should be a bit embarrassing for Eze, who finished the game with an xA of just 0.03. (Sofascore)
Finish the sentence: In Arsenal’s next match Eberechi Eze should start __________
At left wing? Number ten? On the bench?
Eberechi Eze’s output at Arsenal is not bad but he can do a lot better
Eze needs to be doing more for Arsenal, and he will be the first one to admit that.
The England international is capable of dominating the game, irrespective of where he plays, but there have been occasions where Eze has just been a passenger.
Despite that, the 27-year-old has directly contributed to nine goals in 16 starts in all competitions, which is not a bad return by any means.
However, he knows he will have to step up in the coming games to keep his place in the side.
If he doesn’t, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard will make sure that he will be on the bench more often than not.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
