Sport

Eberechi Eze could be the antidote to Arsenal’s creativity problems

Not for the first time recently, Eberechi Eze delivered a big moment when Arsenal needed one, finding the back of the net to give the Gunners’ a much-needed victory at home to Newcastle United. While the performance was far from convincing, Eze’s contribution got Arsenal moving forward again.

Mikel Arteta’s team now hold a three-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table. Manchester City hold a game in-hand over their rivals from North London, but Arsenal have the points on the board. There was no guarantee they would beat Newcastle on Saturday such is their current situation.

Arsenal’s fundamental issues have been clear for a while. Quite simply, they aren’t creating enough in open play. Arteta and his coaching staff have always placed an importance on set pieces, but the Gunners have become too reliant on this method of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Eze, however, could be the antidote to this problem. He was Arsenal’s biggest attacking threat in the recent defeat to Manchester City and scored the only goal of the game against Newcastle on Saturday. He is the one player the Gunners have who is currently capable of creating something out of nothing. Eze has the sort of spontaneity that others around him are seemingly missing.

That might change now that Bukayo Saka is back from injury. The winger returned for the final 10 minutes of the win over Newcastle and linked up nicely with Martin Odegaard down the right side. Odegaard is another player who could make an impact down the final stretch of the season now that he is playing regularly again.

Odegaard and Saka, however, have underwhelmed even when they have been on the pitch this season. The former has registered just two goal contributions in his last 13 appearances for Arsenal while the latter hasn’t found the back of the net since early-March. The pair are a long way from being at their best.

While Eze started on the left wing for Arsenal on Saturday, he had the freedom to drift inside. Arteta allowed the 27-year-old to find space in between the lines and devised a set piece routine specifically to get the former Crystal Palace attacking midfielder into a good shooting position on the edge of the box.

“It’s so hard to win in this league. We know that,” said Arteta after the 1-0 win over Newcastle that sent Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table. “That’s why the amount of points that the teams that we have now [in the league] compared to all the years is different. And the reason is because it’s so competitive, so difficult to do it.”

Every match is a grind for Arsenal at the moment. This will certainly be the case against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League before the Gunners take on Fulham when they could open up a six-point lead before Manchester City play their next league fixture.

Arteta’s ideology as a coach is based on control, particularly defensive control. Arsenal’s record at the back remains the strongest in the Premier League and Champions League this season. This has been the foundation of their challenge for honours domestically and on the continent.

To win titles, though, Arsenal must win games and Eze could be the route to achieving this. The Gunners paid £60m to sign the England international from Palace last summer in the belief he would move the needle for them as potential Premier League winners. He has done that and needs to keep doing it until the end of the season.