Mikel Arteta has been told by former Arsenal forward Alan Smith to get the best out of one his players.
The Gunners are preparing for a clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, which could see them climb nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
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Arsenal come off a 3-2 win against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, and they’ll hope to continue their impressive form against Forest this weekend.
Martin Odegaard could be rested against Forest, as he has played a lot of matches recently, which means Eberechi Eze might get the chance to start. The former Crystal Palace star, has struggled to get into the team as of late.
Alan Smith tells Arteta to “get more” out of Eze
Former Arsenal forward Alan Smith has exclusively told GoonerNews via BestBettingSites.co.uk, that Arteta needs to get more out of Eze, as he hasn’t fulfilled his potential since joining for £60m in the summer transfer window.
Smith said: “Sometimes he’s played without really impacting games. He’s hugely talented, and Arteta will need to persist to try and find a way to get more out of him.”
He also emphasised that Arteta needs to find a way to play both Eze and Odegaard in the same team, rather than playing one at a time, and forcing them to compete.
“It’s been difficult fitting him into the same team as Odegaard,” Smith added, “but there’s no reason they can’t play together if they understand each other’s movements.”
Eze’s “freedom has been taken away”
Smith isn’t the only pundit to criticise Arteta’s use of Eze, as former Man United defender Paul Parker also believes that the England international is being misused.
Parker said: “I think that freedom has been taken away from him by Mikel Arteta since going to Arsenal. They bought him for what he was delivering and then when they got him, they’ve tried to get him to do something different. It doesn’t make sense for that kind of money.”
Eze will hope to start against Forest this weekend, and potentially make an impact with a goal, or two, it would really help boost his confidence.
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