Mikel Arteta has a potentially lethal partnership at his disposal at Arsenal that he’s yet to experiment with.
The Gunners’ success in recent years has been built on several exceptional relationships between certain players.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the North Londoners’ defence, which has become a staple of Arteta’s team.
Meanwhile, Ben White and Bukayo Saka have combined effectively on the right-hand side of Arsenal’s attack for a number of years now.
Arteta could now unearth a brand new duo on the left-hand side of his team’s attack, to provide the offensive side of the Gunners’ game with more balance.
Mikel Arteta can unleash Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie as a partnership
Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze for £67.5 million this summer.
The 27-year-old has shown glimpses of his quality thus far in a red and white shirt, although Arteta is yet to unlock the player’s best form.
It’s believed that Eze has been acquired to primarily operate off the left for the Gunners, a ploy that has been questioned by many.
The England international is at his best when picking the ball up in the left-hand channel, not on the touchline, where Arteta’s wingers generally spend the majority of their time throughout matches.
However, Arsenal signed Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen on deadline day, perhaps with Eze in mind.
Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly tend to operate further inside, meaning neither can provide the width off the left which would allow Eze to come inside.
This is where Hincapie could become very important. The Ecuadorian has been lauded for his pace, his ability to maraud up the field and provide overlapping runs.
This makes him unique in Arsenal’s squad and also makes him the perfect left-back partner for Eze. Together, the two new signings could build a dangerous bond, with Hincapie’s overlapping runs enabling Eze to roam in central areas, while creating space for the attacking midfielder.
Hincapie has been struggling with an injury in the last month, so he is yet to be granted a run in the Arsenal team, but when he’s fit, this is surely a duo Arteta will take a look at.
Mikel Arteta has already shown a desire to play Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze together
Against West Ham, Arteta started Eze and Martin Odegaard in midfield together.
This was cut short abruptly after Odegaard was forced off with an injury after just 30 minutes. However, it clearly showed that this is a dynamic Arteta is interested in exploring.
In a system where Hincapie is providing the width off the left, Eze can essentially act as the left-sided Odegaard.
The two players will be tucked in, operating in the left and right half-spaces respectively, with Hincapie and Saka outside of them, while Declan Rice sits deeper in a double pivot alongside Martin Zubimendi.
Not only could this get the best out of Eze, but it’ll allow Rice to operate in a deep role which he’s more comfortable in.
Arteta simply has to consider this in-possession structure.
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