Tottenham fans had to swallow the most bitter tablet on Wednesday night, but among the rubble on social networks, one or two had to admit: there was something very “Arsenal” in Eberechi Eze.
Even Arsenal supporters are very rational, who often suspects the effectiveness of spending £ 67.5 million for a 27 -year -old player, giving in to a romantic truth. This is an extremely right deal.
Crystal Palace fans will object to that thought and point out that there will always be something very, very “Palace” in a player who helped them win the first big title. Queens Park Rangers, the team, trained Eze and was about to receive a large amount of money thanks to its resale terms, also worthy of their somewhat.
One reason Eze attracted the hearts of Arsenal fans was that he was a Gunners' fan from an early age and was at the club's academy until he was liberated at the age of 13, one thing that once made him cry. But he was not alone at any of them.
Eze created an interesting reaction because he was very familiar, but very new in the context of Arsenal's current squad. Familiarity because as a assist player on the left wing, not really a winger and not really a number 10, a pattern player of Robert Pires, Tomas Rosicky or Samir Nasri.
Eze was only one year younger than Ian Wright when he joined Arsenal from Palace in 1991, another reason that the deal was the sound of the past. Là một người London da màu ở phía nam, đến từ Greenwich, Eze sẽ gia nhập một tập hợp của những cầu thủ Arsenal như vậy, những người đã gia nhập hoặc trưởng thành từ các cấp bậc: Wright, David Rocastle, Kevin Campbell, Paul Davis, Kieran Gibbs, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson và những người khác (tuổi thơ của Myles Lewis-Skelly đã trải qua cả phía bắc và phía male).
Eze comes from a Nigerian family, a community with strong support for Arsenal. In the championship teams in the early 2000s, players like Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry strengthened the club's appeal to the black London, a bridge that Bukayo Saka received for a new generation.
Many people will consider these cultural strings completely randomly for Eze, but if you ignore them completely, you will miss the multi -layer cohesion that fans create with players and clubs. Last year, Clive Chijioke Nwonka and Matthew Harle co -edited a book titled “Black Arsenal: Club, Culture and Identity” (Arsenal color: Club, Culture and identity), Discover a strong but sometimes complex relationship between Arsenal and the identity of the black community. Anyone who is familiar with London or Arsenal knows that this connection exists and cannot be erased.
The new factor appears when we evaluate the problems on the pitch. Eze does not seem to be the most suitable addition to the system under the Mikel Arteta, but it may be the main advantage of this deal. The Spanish strategist asked his winger to cling to the border, which is consistent with the strength of Eze. As a “left -left midfielder”, Arteta has prioritized those who are good at hand -to -hand, who can move around the yard: Granit Xhaka, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz.
Last two seasons, Arsenal won the most matches in a Premier League campaign and last season reached the Champions League semi -final for the first time in 16 years. Therefore, Arteta's approach cannot be wrong. However, there have been concerns that this system makes Arsenal lack an artist, a player who is creative, can create magical moments. Arsenal drew 14 matches and scored less than Liverpool 17 goals last season.
Not all are pink with the appearance of Eze, because this contract seems to be a result of Havertz's knee injury. Eze may allow Leango Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli to become the preferred striker for Viktor Gyokeres without Havertz. Above all, Eze can help revive the left wing that has become deadlocked and balanced the bias in the right wing. The ability to hold the ball and attract his defender will open the space for Martin Odegaard and, more importantly, Saka on the other side.
Here are three ways Arsenal can play with Eze:
Diagram 4-3-3 with Eze on the left wing
This is the most likely scenario, but Arsenal needs to allow Eze to move inside from the wing if they want to see him the best. A winged defender tends to attack naturally like Riccardo Calafiori will help it, rather than Lewis-Skelly, who tends to move into the middle of the yard.
Playing with a striker who likes to run behind the defender is also suitable for a winger who can control the ball and be more creative. When Man City bought Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva shone on the sides. Instead of Raheem Sterling or Leroy Sane runs behind a “virtual number 9”, the work of the winger becomes the ball and passes to the striker. A similar motivation can happen at Arsenal with Eze as Martinelli's role.
Diagram 4-3-3 with Eze in the position of the left-left midfielder
This is a more bolder choice. Arteta had tested using a second creative midfielder next to Odegaard but that test did not last. Does that speak of the limited quality of Fabio Vieira or Emile Smith Rowe, or that theory itself, is still an open question.
There will be a lot of Arsenal fans who want to see this, but it may have to pay for the defensive balance. It is important to remember that while Eze plays in the central area for Palace, they have a 5 -person defense. There is also a tough question about whether Martín Zubimendi or Rice will be eliminated. Both have the qualities that Arsenal cannot lack.
This may be a more feasible squad when Arsenal is looking for goals and conversion in the match.
Diagram of 3-4-3 with a diamond line
At the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Arteta left Gabriel Magalhaes on the bench and use Thomas Partey in the right defender. When Arsenal had a ball, Partey played in midfield with Rice, Odegaard and Havertz, with Saka, Nketiah and Martinelli in the attack. It only lasts a few matches. When the rumors of a moving to Saudi Arabia settled down, Gabriel was returned to the main squad and everything returned to normal.
However, that brief test brings an attractive prospect of a system that helps all the best attacking talents and midfielder Arsenal are on the pitch. Johan Cruyff's “3-4-3 diamond” diagram was completed by Johan Cruyff in Barcelona, a team that Arteta idols from an early age.
