At the epicentre of Arsenal’s woes on Saturday evening was a turgid attacking display from Mikel Arteta’s men.
While you may well bemoan Ben White for his misjudgement in the concession of the opening goal, the fact of the matter is that the Gunners were toothless in the final third against a side from the second tier.
Gabriel Jesus was hauled off on the hour mark and it said it all about the Brazilian that his replacement, Viktor Gyokeres, scored within minutes of coming on.
Max Dowman tried his utmost to make things happen and he rather embarrassed the senior members of the Arsenal attack with his dazzling forward-thinking attitude.
He looks like the future of this Arsenal team, but many, Jesus and Martin Odegaard included, do not.
Why Arsenal should drop Martin Odegaard
Can you remember the last time we saw the best of the Arsenal skipper? No? Neither can we.
The Norwegian has endured something of a nightmare last year and a half. Last season, he only scored three Premier League goals during an injury-hit campaign in the English capital.
Whether it be injury or form, it has not been much better for the club captain this time around. Odegaard has missed much of the season through injury and as a result, has found the net just once in the league.
Despite injury, that level of performance has hardly been a surprise when you look at how he performed in the 2-1 defeat to Southampton a few days ago.
Admittedly, this was the attacking midfielder’s first game back from injury, but it was an indifferent performance that left us wanting more. The fact of the matter is that Odegaard should have scored and he could well have taken Arsenal on their way to the semi-finals.
Getting on the end of a cut-back from about eight yards out, the 27-year-old completely scuffed his effort wide when it looked easier to score. That sort of area in the penalty box used to be described as the ‘Odegaard zone’ but it has been anything but in the last 18 months. His finishing ability has deserted him.
While the former Real Madrid man did improve Arsenal in possession through the middle of the pitch, it was something of a typical Odegaard display. He looked pretty on the ball but ultimately did little to influence the game.
The nadir of his performance at the weekend came in the build-up to Southampton’s opening goal. He directed Dowman to make a run beyond him into the right channel but ignored the teenager, then attempted a silly back heel that allowed the hosts to go up the other end and score. It was an infuriating piece of play.
So, should the Norway international be in the starting XI to face Sporting on Tuesday night in the Champions League and Bournemouth in the league at the weekend? Arguably not.
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard solution
Arteta has tried a number of remedies in a bid to replace Odegaard’s qualities at times this season. Bukayo Saka enjoyed a goalscoring performance in the number 10 during the 2-2 draw away at Wolves.
Kai Havertz played there against Southampton too, but neither feel like a long-term play. Ultimately, Dowman looks like the heir to Odegaard’s throne in midfield, but he will have to get past Eberechi Eze first.
The England international was enjoying the best run of his Arsenal career prior to picking up a heartbreaking injury that ruled him out of the Carabao Cup final.
Before then, the summer signing had six goal involvements (four goals, two assists) in his last nine outings across all competitions, moments that included two goals against Spurs and that screamer against Leverkusen in the Champions League.
This time of the year is very much the Eze period. In the last four seasons, he has averaged 0.5 goals per game throughout March, April and May. In contrast, he has only registered 0.19 goals per game in autumn and winter.
Consequently, his return to full training is a necessity if Arsenal are to successfully navigate the end of the season.
It’s been a tricky first years for Eze, not one he would have envisaged when making a heroic return to the club he grew up supporting.
The big money attacking midfielder did not start a single Premier League game between the 20th December and 12th February and even when the number 10 did play, not much of an impact was made. Indeed, Arsenal writer Connor Humm perhaps summed things up best just a few months ago when he said: “Eze walks around like Ozil. That’s fine if you’re as good as Ozil but he’s not even close.”
Well, since that moment, the England international has showcased that perhaps he is closer to Ozil than many may think. His weight of pass is exceptional, he’s finding his goalscoring boots now and he finally looks like a player worthy of the £67.5m fee paid last summer.
If he is fit enough to start from the off in Lisbon on Tuesday, then he simply has to start against Sporting ahead of Odegaard. Eze is simply made for big Champions League nights. If he’s not available, then let’s hope he’s back in time for Bournemouth at the weekend.