Gary Neville says he'd be 'stunned' if £34m Arsenal star isn't dropped vs Chelsea but it would be a mistake
Arsenal need to move past the disappointment of the summer transfer window and focus on their next game in the Premier League.
After back-to-back wins against Coventry City and Aston Villa to start the new season, the Gunners have a big game coming up against Chelsea.
The Blues have had a great start to the new season as well under Xabi Alonso, and this promises to be an incredible game.
Gary Neville has now had his say on one selection dilemma Mikel Arteta will have.
Gary Neville says Mikel Arteta will drop Christos Tzolis for Eberechi Eze vs Chelsea
Arsenal are really short of options on the left wing.
The Gunners have sold Leandro Trossard to Besiktas, while Gabriel Martinelli’s move to Al-Hilal is expected to be confirmed imminently.
That leaves summer signing Christos Tzolis as the only natural left-wing option, and he had a great start to life in the famous red and white.
However, a difficult night against Aston Villa has convinced Neville that Eberechi Eze will start ahead of the Greek international.
He said on Sky Sports: “I’d be surprised if Eze didn’t play next week against Chelsea. It’s a big game that, I’m really looking forward to it.
“But I just think because of the sort of size of that game, it may be that Mikel Arteta just says to Tzolis: ‘Just have a look at this match. Just watch it. I’m not going to put you into this one.’
“Eze’s got a bit more body strength about him. He’s got more experience in the Premier League. I’d be stunned if he didn’t play next week, purely because of the fact that he played really well in that second half, and he looked like he handled a physical game well away from home against Aston Villa.
“So, yeah, I don’t think they can change it now.”
Gary Neville is wrong, Christos Tzolis must start for Arsenal vs Chelsea
Tzolis had a really difficult game for Arsenal against Aston Villa.
The Greek international looked nothing like the player we saw against Manchester City and Coventry and was rightly taken off at half-time.
However, against Chelsea, Arsenal will have much more space to attack because of the Blues’ style of play, and that makes it an ideal game for someone like Tzolis.
Eze did play well against Villa, and it would be wrong to say that he doesn’t deserve to start. But we think Tzolis’ pace, dribbling and directness would be far more effective against Chelsea.
Neville definitely has a point after seeing the performance against Villa, but we think he is wrong. Tzolis must keep his place.
