Merson thinks an Arsenal star needs to step up his gameplaceholder image
Merson thinks an Arsenal star needs to step up his game | Manchester United via Getty Imag
One Arsenal star is currently on course to be a substitute at the World Cup, according to two pundits.
It’s already that time of year when discussions begin to take place over the World Cup and the squad decisions involved in the competition. In just a matter of months, Thomas Tuchel will need to decide which England players will join him on the flight to Canada and the United States - and perhaps eventually Mexico depending on hos things shake up.
Tuchel will already have a rough idea of who he wants to pick, but changes in form and injuries between now and the end of the season are likely to force changes.
When it comes to changes in form, one player who will be desperate to get back to form is Arsenal star Eberechi Eze, who has not been as influential of late, with Mikel Arteta leaving him out of his starting XI for the weekend’s win over Everton.
“As we talk today Morgan Rogers has got the shirt,” Merson said on Sky Sports. “It’s his shirt today. All he can do is focus on the next game, the next training session. Don’t worry about what’s happening in six month’s time.
“If he keeps doing what he’s doing he will start and I don’t see how he doesn’t because he’s always going to play at Aston Villa. You look at Eze, he might not get back in the Arsenal team for a while, he might be in and out.
“Whereas Rogers will be first-choice at Villa, even when it’s not going too well for him he will still play. I think he starts for England at the World Cup.”
Former England international Ashley Young added: “A lot can happen and maybe he will have a dip but right now he’s got the shirt. If he keeps playing like this he’s definitely going to be England’s No. 10 at the World Cup. But a lot can change.”
Eze’s problem
The issue for Eze is that he was always going to struggle to start games in his best position at Arsenal, at least on a regular basis. Martin Odegaard has the number 10 role locked down, and so when the Norwegian is fit, Eze must either play a supplementary role or play out wide, which is not his best position.
Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka are also in goo form out wide, which means a place on the bench. What’s interesting is that Eze could have joined Tottenham instead in the summer window, and he would have been an all-but guaranteed starter in the number 10 role there this season, with James Maddison out for much of the campaign.
With Arsenal vying for a Premier League title - and perhaps other titles - Eze won’t be regretting his decision from a sporting point of view. But the decision is relevant when it comes to the World Cup and Eze’s hopes of starting games in North America.
Continue Reading