Arsenal: Eberechi Eze can shine in Martin Odegaard role as Mikel Arteta faces selection headache | OneFootball

Gunners hope unpredictability can be a real asset with Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri also vying to replace injured captain

Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Simon Collings

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is famously detailed and diligent, but emotion plays a big role in the way he coaches.

In Arteta’s eyes, the momentum was with Merino, so he went with his gut - leaving Declan Rice on the bench. Arteta has more big decisions to make this weekend, off the back of another international break.

Arsenal head to Fulham on Saturday without captain Martin Odegaard, who is sidelined by a knee injury. The Gunners are assessing the Norwegian this week to determine the full extent of his lay-off, but there are fears that he could be out until next month.

Such a scenario leaves Arteta with a selection headache, although it is not as severe as the one he faced last season. When Odegaard was out then, missing three months of the campaign, Arteta had to rip up his game plan due to a lack of options.

That is not the case now. Instead, the Arsenal boss can call upon Eberechi Eze, Ethan Nwaneri or Merino to fill the void. Merino may hope to get the nod on Saturday after scoring twice for Spain against Bulgaria on Tuesday, although partnering him with Rice as twin No8s has not always worked.

That is why Eze could get the chance to shine in a central role - a call that should appeal to both Arteta’s head and heart. The last time Eze was at Craven Cottage was back in March, when he ran the show for Crystal Palace in a 3-0 win, scoring one and setting up another as the Eagles booked a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Even if Arteta goes with logic over emotion, Eze feels like the right man to replace Odegaard

Given Arsenal have not won at Fulham for more than two years, Arteta may favour a player with recent happy memories of the ground.

Even if Arteta goes with logic over emotion, Eze feels like the right man to replace Odegaard in the coming weeks. A big reason Arsenal signed Eze was his versatility and the club believe he can play on the left, right or centrally.

That has proven true so far. During his first eight games, the 27-year-old has been used in several roles by Arteta. Eze has played four times on the left flank - where many thought he would break into the team - as well as twice as a left No8 and twice as a right No8.

In that time, he has scored once and provided two assists. It has been a steady start, but Arsenal will hope now is when he bursts into life. Eze has already shown flashes of brilliance, notably his assist for Gabriel Martinelli in the dying minutes of last month’s draw with Manchester City.

That came when he was playing as a right No8 - Odegaard’s role - and Arteta may turn to him there again. It will, however, bring a slight shift in how Arsenal play, as Eze and Odegaard operate differently.

Odegaard likes to drop deeper and dictate the build-up, while Eze prefers to operate closer to goal, arriving late in the box to cause problems. It is telling that, in the Premier League this season, only Erling Haaland has had more shots than Eze.

The hope is that the England international will add goals to Arsenal’s midfield, a trait that was lacking last season. The knock-on effect of starting Eze is that Rice may drop deeper, often operating alongside Martin Zubimendi at the base of midfield.

There have already been signs of that movement this season, which in turn has created more space for the No8 next to Rice - something Eze can thrive on.

Off the mark: Eze scored his first Arsenal goal in the Carabao Cup win over Port Vale last month

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

At times, Arsenal’s shape has resembled a 4-2-3-1 formation, such is the amount that Rice drops deep, and the idea of Eze as a No10 is exciting. It also makes perfect sense, given that is his natural position.

Eze will likely share minutes with Merino and Nwaneri while Odegaard is out, given the relentless schedule ahead. Arsenal have seven games in 22 days before the international break next month.

There will undoubtedly be games that suit Merino and Nwaneri. It is easy, for example, to see how Arteta may want to start Merino against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, given the physical nature of Diego Simeone’s side.

Such variety makes Arsenal unpredictable in terms of team selection, which is something Arteta admitted they lacked last season.

Now, as Arteta himself puts it, Arsenal can “change the puzzle at any moment”. Eze is a big reason for that, and over the next month, he could prove to be their most important piece.