Forget Viktor Gyokeres, another Arsenal player has a point to prove during the international break
17 Arsenal players are away on international duty over the next couple of weeks.
One of those desperate to prove a point during his time away from North London is Viktor Gyokeres, and he has started to do exactly that after scoring for Sweden on Friday. The striker has had a really difficult start to the season, yet to register a goal or an assist in the 207 minutes he has featured in for the Gunners.
But Gyokeres is not the only Arsenal player with a chip on his shoulder. And the other is arguably far more important to Mikel Arteta’s immediate plans this season, given the options he has available to him.
Bukayo Saka, Ezri Konsa and Myles Lewis-Skelly are in the England squad. As is Eberechi Eze, although the general consensus is that the 28-year-old is quite fortunate to be there.
Eze’s start to the season has been below par. He has featured in all five Premier League games as a substitute and is yet to nail down a starting position, with Christos Tzolis getting the nod on the left wing. His 85 Premier League minutes this season have been largely forgettable, and for a player of his undoubted quality, that is a concern.
Thomas Tuchel used Eze in a more central role, as an 8, during the World Cup, where he did reasonably well amid the competition for places. This season at Arsenal, he has been deployed on the left flank, a position that perhaps doesn’t quite bring out the best in him. However, he should still be doing better, considering the £67.5million Arsenal paid to bring him to the Emirates last season.
Tzolis’ alarming dribbling stats suggest he’s probably a little bit out of his depth at the moment. After all, he was signed to be a backup initially. Eze is capable of providing the one-v-one quality and creativity Arsenal are lacking from that left flank, but he needs to show it.
Tonight against Spain at Wembley could be the perfect stage for him to do that. A good performance in a central or left-sided role against the world champions would do wonders for his confidence, and remind Arteta — and Arsenal fans — of exactly what he has available if he is trusted from the start.
Gyokeres needs this break. But Arsenal arguably need Eze to use it even more.