It was an evening filled with smiles from Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. But up to the 70 minute mark, it looked like a night to be forgotten. The gunners huffed and breathed through most of the contest, but their offensive efforts were blocked by the Basque brick wall.
As far as Arsenal is concerned, it wasn’t surprising that two alternatives were needed to change the game. Martinelli latched to the Trossard Pass to search, and the winger burst in the goal, sliding an tidy effort under athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Fast forward 15 minutes. This time, Martinelli chose the Torosad in the box. A fun display of the depths of Arsenal’s team, but perhaps an early concern for one of their latest arrivals too?
Eberechi Eze was the man sacrificed for Martinelli at the 70-minute mark, and England International struggled for most of the match. Eze was his second consecutive outing on the left field, opening Arsenal’s weekend victory over Nottingham Forest on that flank.
For the latest broken stories and headlines, sign up for the Daily Express Transfer Newsletter.
But it is also the second match that Eze was pleased to deceive, playing in roles that don’t suit the usual electric offensive talent. Certainly, he got an assist against Forest, but for the rest of the game’s pitch, he ran into more issues than caused trouble, just like Tuesday’s display.
What if the depth of Arsenal’s new team actually harms Eze? If the previous Arsenal forwards were taking place with one or two other players, Trossard, Martinelli, Noni Maduke, Bukayo Saka, and others could take a few minutes from each other.
At £67.5 million, Eze is unlikely to be completely frozen from the team by Arteta, and the 27-year-old certainly has time on his side. However, questions about his suitability to play on the left side have already been asked.
The alternative is to play with Eze in the center, but that requires something more unlikely to happen: Arteta implements changes to the system. Martin Odegaard is the midfielder of the fit Gunners’ first choice offense, with Norwegian International being a little more diligent than Eze and certainly delivering the ball.
If Odegard lacks conflict, it’s hard to see him roll out such a carefree midfielder to Eze for Arsenal’s biggest game of the season. It was an early age, and the panic button certainly hasn’t been pushed yet. But it definitely feels like something has to be upset between Eze, Arteta and Arsenal.
