‘He was upset, even with me’ – Arteta praises Arsenal star for his attitude after Spurs victory
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has claimed that Eberechi Eze was upset with him due to some of the decisions he has made recently.
The Gunners signed Eze from Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window in a big money move.
He was expected to hit the ground running straight away but the England international has struggled for a large part of the season.
Although he has shown flashes of his brilliance, Eze has failed to find the consistency that he showed at Palace.
In the recent 1-1 draw against Brentford, Arteta decided to take Eze off at halftime and replaced him with Martin Odegaard.
In the 2-2 draw against Wolves, Eze was benched and Arteta believes that his decision did not go down well with the attacking midfielder.
Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Eberechi Eze
Arteta started Eze in the North London derby and Eze showed his quality by scoring two crucial goals for the Gunners.
In his post match press conference, Arteta said, as reported by Metro:
‘He has scored five goals in the last two games against Tottenham, which is extremely difficult to do, but I could see that he wanted to prove something.
‘He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t play him in the other day from the beginning and some of the decisions that I made. And I start to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.
‘He had that belief and I’m really happy with him. He’s really trying to mould and adapt into what we want from him.
‘You just have to look at his face and the way he was in the dressing room and with that big smile and his eyes are just expressing everything that you need to.
‘He came here for a reason and we need those moments from these players. I think him and the front players today, I think they’ve done what we expect from them.’
Arsenal star loves playing against Tottenham
Eze scored a hat-trick in the first North London derby of the season and he scored a brace in the second one.
He has shown time and again, even in his spell at Crystal Palace, that he loves playing against Tottenham.
They are his favourite opponents. In the final stages of the Premier League title race, Arteta would be hoping Eze to perform the same way.
The fact that Arteta has considered benching club captain Martin Odegaard for Eze shows that he believes in the player but now it is up to him to repay the faith Arsenal have shown in him.
Eze is not just a goal scorer, he also creates chances for his teammates. In the final third, his presence can be crucial for the Gunners as they chase the Premier League title.
Arsenal star mocks Tottenham with social media post after North London derby win
The post ‘He was upset, even with me’ – Arteta praises Arsenal star for his attitude after Spurs victory appeared first on CaughtOffside.