Arsenal will be praying for a potentially game-changing reprieve after Mikel Arteta’s new experiment against West Ham United confirmed a turning point…
Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze? How about both?
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, in his 300th game in charge against West Ham United on Saturday, has been guilty of overusing the handbrake on occasion, but this was not something he could be accused of against the Hammers.
This is because Arteta opted for Odegaard AND Eze in a rather attacking midfield three against West Ham, with Declan Rice moving deeper in the absence of rested Martin Zubimendi.
This was a refreshing change of tack from Arteta, who appears to have caught the attacking bug after having success in their statement 2-1 win against Newcastle United by throwing everything at a victory.
And the new central partnership of Odegaard and Eze has the potential to solve an issue that dogged Arsenal last season: their inability to break down a low block.
With two technically gifted playmakers in the XI to unlock a defence, Arsenal have a greater chance of carving open an opponent for that one big chance that could turn a draw into a victory, which is required if they are going to beat Liverpool to the title this season.
The early signs were positive as Odegaard and Bukaya Saka (who had a goal disallowed for offside) combined well, and Eze missed a huge opportunity to score after 12 minutes.
READ: Arsenal ahead of Liverpool as Premier League title favourites amid 34% gap on one key metric…
However, this exciting experiment only lasted half an hour as Odegaard was forced off with an injury after appearing to twist his knee, which adds to his frustration as he has already missed several games this season due to a shoulder issue.
This meant Arsenal had to revert to type, with Eze occupying the advanced role usually taken by Odegaard and Rice pushed into the No.8 position due to Zubimendi’s introduction.
And this midfield trio combined for Arsenal’s opening goal. Zubimendi found Eze with a cute through ball, and after the summer signing had a shot saved, Rice was in the right place at the right time with a Frank Lampard-esque finish into the roof of the net from close range.
Even without the extra creative spark provided by Odegaard, it still only felt like a matter of time before the Gunners broke the deadlock as West Ham became increasingly stretched at the end of the half, and the newfound defensive resoluteness implemented by Nuno Espirito Santo against Everton was nowhere to be seen here.
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Riccardo Calafiori was unfortunate as he struck the post via a sweet hit with his weak foot before the break, but the Gunners struggled to turn their utter dominance into more goals.
Against more capable opponents, Arsenal’s continued struggle to take chances will be an issue as they risk being hit on the counter-attack, but they had no such problem on Saturday as West Ham were never in the game and the match was all but over by the 65th minute.
This came as the Gunners were awarded a penalty as El Hadji Malick Diouf, who generally did a pretty good job of handling Saka, clumsily bundled Jurrien Timber over in the area following Zubimendi’s pinpoint floated ball.
Saka, back as Arsenal’s designated penalty taker ahead of Gyokeres, sent Alphonse Ireola the wrong way to clinically convert, grabbing his 100th goal involvement in his 200th Premier League appearance. He is quite good…
This shut down West Ham’s slim hopes of a comeback on the most comfortable of afternoons for Arteta and his team as they cruised to a 2-0 win that puts them top of the Premier League table ahead of Liverpool’s trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It was far from perfect from Arsenal’s perspective, as they will have to be more clinical against stronger opponents.
The Gunners will also be praying for a reprieve regarding Odegaard’s knee issue, with the new Eze partnership having the potential to reduce those costly slip-ups against lowly opposition.
Still, Arteta’s willingness to start Eze and Odegaard makes a turning point in his Arsenal reign, with the Gunners certainly having a greater chance of winning big this season with a front-foot mindset rather than an overreliance on the handbrake.