Eberechi Eze made his first international appearance since his £68m move to Arsenal as England welcomed Andorra to Villa Park.
The new Arsenal No.10 started in an attacking midfield role, as an own goal from Christian Garcia and a header from Declan Rice secured a 2-0 win in the FIFA World Cup qualifier.
However, Mikel Arteta will surely be making plans to work with Eberechi Eze at London Colney after seeing the 27-year-old miss a number of glorious chances.
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Eberechi Eze has to be more clinical given the way Mikel Arteta sets up
It was a lively display from the man born in Greenwich, who registered two key passes, one accurate cross and a pass success rate of 91% (20/22) – as Sofascore shows.
However, Eze was guilty of missing several fantastic opportunities to score, firing a close-range shot high over the bar in the second half, while also seeing an effort saved by Iker Alvarez when he ought to have finished the chance.
Category Statistic
Top stats
Goals 0
Assists 0
Total shots 3
Accurate passes 20/22 (91%)
Chances created 2
Attack
Touches 36
Accurate crosses 1/1
Dispossessed 6
Defence
Tackles won 1
Clearances 0
Interceptions 0
Dribbled past 0
Duels
Ground duels won 2/4
Aerial duels won 0/1
Was fouled 1
Fouls committed 0
(Sofascore)
It was hardly a disaster-class in terms of finishing, but due to the way Arteta is setting Arsenal up in significant games, Eze, who is close with Rice, needs to be more ruthless.
For example, the Gunners recorded just one shot on target in the recent 1-0 defeat at Anfield, lining up with a low block.
Similar happened at Old Trafford, as Arsenal accepted just 38% of the possession and only took three shots on target, hoping to frustrate Manchester United and take a chance when it came, as Riccardo Calafiori did to earn a 1-0 win.
When it comes down to the business end of the campaign – squeaky bum time as some call it – huge games where titles are on the line may hinge on a single chance, so Arteta has to help Eze become more clinical.
Eberechi Eze often starts slowly
Speaking of the business end to a season, this is usually when Eze – who has impressed in Arsenal training – comes to life.
Last term, the £68m man scored just one goal in his first 14 Premier League appearances of the campaign for Crystal Palace, but ended up netting six in his last eight league outings.
Similar happened in the 2023/24 campaign, as Eze scored just two in 13 to begin the season, but finished strongly, bagging five goals and three assists in his final 11 league games.
Arsenal fans and Arteta alike may therefore need to be patient with the 2025 FA Cup winner.