Eberechi Eze flops – Three Arsenal players who must be axed vs Brighton after narrow win vs Crystal Palace
Mikel Arteta must make some major changes against Brighton after scraping through to the Carabao Cup semi-finals against Crystal Palace.
Oliver Glasner’s side forced Arsenal to penalties at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, 23 December, with Maxence Lacroix‘s own goal being cancelled out by Marc Guehi in the fifth minute of added time.
Gabriel Martinelli was the most dangerous player in the game, so much so that Jaydee Canvot was replaced at the half-time break, unable to keep up with the Brazilian on the left flank.
The late setback highlighted a key weakness that the Gunners have to address, especially when facing the Seagulls on Saturday, 27 December, and these three players could be sacrificed as a result.
Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino is normally a very solid option for the Gunners, but against Glasner’s men, he shied away from the challenge and weakened the midfield incredibly.
In total, he lost 12 duels, the most of any player on the pitch, including 71 per cent of his ground duels, all while committing three fouls and winning zero tackles [FotMob].
Ultimately, he was outshone by Christian Norgaard, who was given a rare chance to impress in the centre of the park, but even he could be rotated due to the incredible depth within the squad.
Eberechi Eze
Arsenal fans slaughtered Eberechi Eze because, while he did create two chances [FotMob], he was almost invisible during his 67 minutes on the pitch, barely making an impact at all.
As well as losing 43 per cent of his ground duels, it just felt like a very lazy performance from the former Palace man, being shown up very easily once Martin Odegaard had been subbed on.
Even Declan Rice had a bigger impact in just a handful of minutes, having two efforts at goal, one of which was saved, while also creating chances for his teammates.
Noni Madueke
With Bukayo Saka available from the bench, it seems almost inevitable that Noni Madueke will be sacrificed against the Seagulls, and there is not much that anyone can argue against Arteta.
Despite having several chances to score, many created for him by Martinelli, he spurned each one, thanks to a wonderful performance from Walter Benitez in the Palace goal. If only one of them had gone in…