At a Glance:
- Mikel Arteta should deploy Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard in midfield.
- Eze and Odegaard are yet to play a full game together in midfield.
- Martin Zubimendi should be dropped.
Mikel Arteta could rescue Arsenal’s flailing season by tasking Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard to play in tandem.
Eze impressed against Manchester City as well as against Sporting CP last week as signs are starting to emerge that he is slowly and surely finding his feet at the Emirates Stadium.
Odegaard’s return to full fitness is also a huge positive for Mikel Arteta as he remains one of their standout players while also being their captain.
Arteta could transform this Arsenal side by taking a leaf out of Pep Guardiola’s book.
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Mikel Arteta should play Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard in midfield
When Manchester City racked up a record 100 points in the 2017/2018 season, Guardiola famously deployed a pair of attacking midfielders in Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva in the middle of the park.
Fernandinho was tasked to sit behind the dynamic duo and instead of the out-of-form Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice could play the same number six role as the Brazilian.
Arsenal’s creativity has been questioned this campaign but Eze and Odegaard could bring a spark to the North Londoners’ midfield, having provided a combined 65 assists in the past four seasons.
| Assists in the past four seasons | Stats |
| Eberechi Eze | 27 |
| Martin Odegaard | 38 |
| Combined total | 65 |
Noni Madueke’s struggles at Arsenal have made headlines but the same can be said for most of Arsenal’s wingers including Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard this season. As a result, Mikel Arteta should prioritise attacking opponents through the middle of the park.
Eze’s silky dribbling, incredible ability to strike the ball and dynamism coupled with Odegaard’s tremendous knack of combining with others, finding runners in space and keep things tick would make them the perfect duo.
While the pair may not be at the standards of De Bruyne and Silva individually or collectively, they could instantly rejig their attack and make Arsenal a much more dangerous proposition.
Why Declan Rice would love Mikel Arteta to change his tactics
Rice, much like Fernandinho is renowned for being an outstanding ball-winner and a player who has the athleticism in abundance to cover every blade of grass with ease.
The Englishman might love to play as a number six again, having told TNT Sports in 2023 that he considers holding midfield as his “best position”, as he revealed: “To be honest, my best position is probably six. That’s probably where I feel most comfortable. As an eight, I do get a bit excited, like to dribble with the ball.”
“Obviously, when I’m playing there, it’s my job to create but that’s not my biggest strength. My biggest strengths, like you [Martin Keown] you said, breaking up the play, taking the ball from deep, trying to dictate.”
Whether Mikel Arteta deploys Rice, Eze and Odegaard as his midfield three remains to be seen but Arsenal fans would perhaps be hoping to see the 44-year-old tweak his tactical setup.
