Eberechi Eze has struggled for Arsenal since Spurs hat-trick but Gunners can unlock his potential - The Radar
Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know stories from up and down the Premier League. This week:
🔺 Eze's Arsenal struggles examined
❓ The change of role that could help
🔍 A player to watch this weekend
Arteta's Eze conundrum
Eberechi Eze's hat-trick in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Spurs in November felt at the time like the start of something special. Mikel Arteta raved about the "joy" and "aura" he had added. Eze said his prayers had been answered. Fans may have felt the same about theirs.
Arsenal's Wolves collapse | Questions for Mikel Arteta
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Three months on, though, as Arsenal prepare to face the same opponent, the club he was close to joining before his move to the Emirates Stadium in August, he remains a conundrum for his manager, his role undefined, his plight typifying Arsenal's issues.
There was a reminder of his game-changing ability, albeit against a lowly opponent, in the FA Cup win over Wigan. Eze took risks on the ball, wowed with his passing, and peppered the opposition goal with shots. "That's what we want from him," said Arteta.
But three days later, he was back among the substitutes against Wolves. Eze has only started one of Arsenal's last 11 Premier League games, seemingly struggling to win the trust of a manager finding it difficult to strike a balance between control and creativity.
Arsenal don't have enough of either right now.
Meanwhile Eze has been moved around.
Bukayo Saka was one of Arsenal's better players at Molineux. But his inclusion at No 10, rather than on the right, came at Eze's expense. "If I was Eze, I'd be thinking, 'Am I going to play for Arsenal too many more times this season?'" said Paul Merson on Sky Sports.
Of course, Eze is not exempt from blame. He was poor when handed a rare start in the 1-1 draw with Brentford last week, substituted at half-time. He struggled to find consistency even when starting regularly in the opening months of the season.
But as Arsenal's season falters, finding a way to get Eze back to the level of the £67.5m superstar who destroyed Spurs in the autumn should be a priority. And where better to start than at a ground where he has scored three times in his last two visits?
Having scored six goals in eight appearances against them in total, Eze in fact counts Spurs as one of his favourite opponents.
One of the most striking aspects of his hat-trick display against them was how often he was able to get into scoring positions. His goals came from a total of six shots, the most by any player. He had the most touches in the opposition box too, with seven.
Arsenal had Merino leading the line in the absence of injured trio Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. But his role was far removed from that of a conventional striker. Instead, he dropped into midfield, making space for Eze to attack.
The rotations enabled a fluid Arsenal performance which they repeated when they blew away Bayern Munich three days later. Again, Eze and Merino combined to great effect. All but one of Arsenal's seven goals across the two games came from open play.
Arsenal were less convincing in their subsequent 1-1 draw with 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, seemingly fatigued after an intense week. And as Arsenal's injuries eased and players returned, the Eze and Merino partnership was quietly broken up.
Merino, of course, is no longer an option due to injury, and Eze has so far struggled to build chemistry with Arsenal's other strikers.
He and Gyokeres didn't exchange a single pass against Brentford. He and Jesus only exchanged two passes against Wolves. He has not even had the chance to start a game with Havertz up front.
Partnerships matter. But another big issue is that Eze just hasn't had enough of the ball. Despite Arsenal averaging 58 per cent possession to Crystal Palace's 42 per cent last season, he is having considerably fewer touches, his influence diminished.
Eze needs to demand it, of course.
At times, most recently against Brentford, when he only attempted 17 passes before his withdrawal, he has appeared inhibited, lacking the confidence to take responsibility, or, perhaps, to express himself as freely as he did at former club Crystal Palace.
The context is very different at Arsenal, where Arteta places huge emphasis on control. Eze is having to adapt to an entirely different style of play, on and off the ball, and to opponents who generally sit deep and squeeze the space in the final third.
With less room to work in near the opposition box, Eze has frequently found himself dropping far away from goal, into areas where it is more difficult to hurt opponents.
GeniusIQ tracking data logs a player's availability to receive passes and shows that the proportion of Eze's instances of availability between the lines has dropped from 40 per cent at Crystal Palace last season to just 26 per cent at Arsenal this term.
Eze is actually available in more space, on average, than at Crystal Palace. But this is because he is too often outside of the opposition block rather than in it, confronted by multiple banks of defenders rather than one, his route to goal blocked.
A change of position could offer a solution.
Eze has mostly featured as a right-sided No 10 for Arsenal but playing off the left of their front three, with licence to drift inside, might afford him more opportunities to receive the ball in the left-hand half-space, the zone in which he thrived for Crystal Palace.
Eze has not featured there since the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in December, when his defensive lapse allowed Matty Cash to score. Eze had played 67 per cent of Arsenal's Premier League minutes going into that game. He has only played 20 per cent since.
It proved a turning point, in other words, for a manager who demands unwavering defensive consistency from his attackers. Eze's error at Villa Park was not the only occasion early in the season when he appeared to lack that level of consistency off the ball.
Overall, though, Eze has upped his efforts out of possession.
A return to GeniusIQ's tracking data reveals a huge increase in the speed and intensity with which he is tracking back in transition compared to previous seasons. He has adapted.
Eze has undoubtedly found the step up to Arsenal difficult. Some might even argue it is too much. But his output at Crystal Palace placed him among the Premier League's top 20 players for goals and assists and Arsenal have seen that player, albeit only in flashes.
Unlocking his full potential, and trusting him to rediscover the "joy" and "aura" that defined his last performance against Spurs, could be key to kick-starting Arsenal's title push.
Player Radar: Who else to keep an eye on
Before Arsenal's meeting with Spurs on Sunday, Vitor Pereira will hope to make a winning Premier League start to his Nottingham Forest tenure against Liverpool. On the evidence of Thursday's Europa League win over Fenerbahce, platforming Morgan Gibbs-White is a big part of his plan to turn their season around.
Live Radar: What's on Sky this weekend?
West Ham against Bournemouth is the Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm, kick-off 5.30pm
Watch Crystal Palace vs Wolves, Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool and Sunderland vs Fulham from 1pm across Sky Sports on Sunday, kicking off at 2pm, before Spurs vs Arsenal at 4.30pm.
On Monday Night Football, it's the David Moyes derby as Everton go up against Man Utd, live from 6.30pm ahead of the 8pm kick-off.
Read last week's Radar column
The last column examined Brighton's struggles this season before their defeat to Crystal Palace put more pressure on Fabian Hurzeler.
