Eberechi Eze produced a really poor performance and was taken off at half-time as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw against Brentford.
The Gunners looked nowhere near their best at the Gtech Community Stadium, and their lead at the top of the Premier League is down to four points as a result.
No Arsenal player really impressed against the Bees, but Eze, sadly, was the worst player on the pitch in the first half.
However, all the blame should not be directed at the former Crystal Palace man. It’s Mikel Arteta who is repeatedly making the same mistake with him.
Name Arsenal’s most disappointing player vs Brentford but you can’t say Eberechi Eze
Mikel Arteta is to blame for Eberechi Eze’s Arsenal struggles
Eberechi Eze should be doing a lot better at Arsenal, but it’s not fully his fault.
The England international performed so well for Crystal Palace during his time there because he was allowed to drift to the left side of the pitch.
Even when he started as an attacking midfielder, his driving runs with the ball came from the left, from where he could cut inside and affect the game.
At Arsenal, Arteta has been forcing him to play as a right-sided number eight, and that has rarely worked for the 27-year-old.
Eze is just not comfortable in that role, and it has been evident for a long time now. Yet Arteta keeps using him there, which is why he deserves a part of the blame.
Declan Rice’s presence on the opposite side is the reason behind the Arsenal manager’s decision, but against Brentford, we think it would have worked a lot better if they had switched sides.
Driving forward from the right, Rice could’ve whipped crosses into the box from deep and also provided a lot more support to Noni Madueke than Eze did.
It will be interesting to see what will happen in the upcoming games, but we think Eze shouldn’t even be considered as an option in that right-sided eight role again.
You can send Eberechi Eze one message after his Brentford performance, what is it?
Mikel Arteta explains why he subbed Eberechi Eze off at half-time vs Brentford
It must have been embarrassing for Eze to be subbed off at half-time in a game where he had to step up and prove his worth.
When you consider the fact that this isn’t the first time it has happened to the Englishman under Arteta, it becomes even more humiliating.
Unsurprisingly, the Arsenal boss was asked why he chose to make the big call at the break.
He replied on TNT Sports in his post-match interview: “It was tactical.
“We needed a different kind of profile in the manner that especially they were pressing, and we started really, really well in the second half.”
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