Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that Eberechi Eze was left disappointed after being dropped from Arsenal’s starting lineup for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City, though the midfielder responded by providing a crucial assist off the bench.
Mikel Arteta Admits Eze’s Disappointment After Arsenal Snub
The summer signing was a surprise omission despite Bukayo Saka not being fit enough to start, with Arteta instead selecting Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino in a lineup criticized for being overly cautious.
Eze entered the match at half-time and made a significant impact, setting up Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time equalizer with a perfectly weighted pass in the 93rd minute.
Arteta defended his team selection post-match, insisting the Gunners “dominated almost every aspect of the game, apart from the scoreline”.
He emphasized the strategic value of having high-impact “finishers” on the bench, a approach validated by Eze and Martinelli’s late heroics.
“I’m sure he was disappointed not to start the game,” Arteta said of Eze.
“But I knew it was going to be a long match, and there were going to be moments where the game had to be shifted in different ways, and this certainly had a massive impact”.
The manager also revealed that Noni Madueke’s half-time substitution was due to an injury picked up early in the match, rather than purely tactical reasons.
Despite recording a record 67.2% possession against a Pep Guardiola side, Arsenal now sit five points behind league leaders Liverpool.
The result highlighted both the squad’s depth and the ongoing selection dilemmas facing Arteta in big matches.
