**Eberechi Eze**examined his first season at **Arsenal**as his side prepare to play against Sporting.
Despite losing three of their last four fixtures, crashing out of the **FA Cup**and **Carabao Cup**in a matter of weeks, the Gunners still sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League, and they are on the cusp of reaching a second successive **Champions League**semi-final for the first time ever.
The £68 million man was courted from **Crystal Palace**back to his boyhood club, and he is happy to be back for the run-in after a calf injury in March. Before the beginning of the second leg in the tie against the Portuguese outfit, the number ten talked to the media about the last eight months.
‘Being at Palace, it was very different’
Eze ended his stint at **Selhurst Park**in the best possible way, scoring at **Wembley Stadium**against **Aston Villa**and **Manchester City**on the way to the first major honour in the history of the Eagles. A **Community Shield**triumph over **Liverpool**followed, and hopes were high when he moved to the north of the capital. However, it has taken time to see the best of the player on a more sustained basis.
The demands and dynamics of the group have given him a challenge that he has gradually adapted to.
“You're in an environment, you're in an industry that at times, if you're not careful, can pull you away from yourself. And I know that the reason why I'm here is because of the type of player I am.
*“Staying true to that is key. It's everything. As long as I stop doing that stuff, I'm no longer the player that I can be, or the player brought to Arsenal. For me, that's the focus. As long as I'm being myself, as long as I'm playing the game how I see the game to be played, as well as adding supplementing with the ideas and things that are going on here at the club. For me, that's the perfect combination.*
“I think this team is full of leaders and whether you're in a leadership group or not, you're still able to have a voice to speak and to say what you think. That's the most important thing whether you're in a leadership group or not.
“It's good because they can help speak for the players in a different way. But I feel like as long as I'm being myself and speaking when I want to speak and operating as I feel comfortable, I'm at ease.
“Some people settle quicker. Some people take a bit longer. In a team like this where there's it's so detailed and there's so many things going on. For a player like me who has come from a completely different background, it was a bit difficult at times, but for me it's part of the journey. It's part of what it takes to become an even better player, and it is something that I'm enjoying now for sure.
“For me, it was the tactical stuff. I think being at Palace, it was very different. the style of play, the way we saw the game.
“Coming here, there's just a lot more things to consider, which is normal because you're playing so many more games. There are so many different ideas of how to work and operate and be successful. That does take time, but you buy into it 100% because you know what the results will be.”
‘That's the type of team that you want to play for’
Eze expected to face stiff competition in the team no matter where he played for Mikel Arteta.
**Leandro Trossard**took the mantle on the left wing in the first half of the season, and **Gabriel Martinelli**has made an outstanding impact in the **Champions League**as a ‘finisher’ from the flank. Meanwhile, club captain **Martin Odegaard**has often been out of action with injuries, but his role in the group and value as a more probing presence in midfield means Eze has had to fight for his place.
Half time substitutions against **Aston Villa**and **Brentford**reflect the frustrations he has endured, but the 27-year-old was in his best form for the Gunners in March, coming out the other side effectively (and the story seems similar for a **Sweden**striker whom he has admiration for.)
*“There are players who are who have specific roles within the team and if those players aren't there then they're missing that whatever it is that that player brings. It's very normal that if players aren't there then they lose something and that's in any position. But the aim is to be fit to play and to be available to help the team as much as possible in my case and **Martin Odegaard*is exactly the same.
*“I think that’s just part of the game [being substituted at half time against **Aston Villa*in December.] There are certain responsibilities that you have and if you're not doing it to the best of your ability, there's another player who's potentially going to do it better. So, that's the level that we're playing at.
“That's the level of competition that's in the squad. Me not playing, it was something I understood, and I can understand because of the level of football that we're playing here. Part of the journey, part of what it takes to win, that's the type of team that you want to play for, for sure.
*“[**Viktor Gyokeres*] is a good guy, man. He's a very good guy. He's a special character and a special player. He's someone that will give everything on the pitch. and you can see how willing he is to leave everything on the pitch. And for me, it's inspiring and that's the type of people that you want to be around because it's infectious. When you see him working, it makes you want to work and of course he's a killer when it comes to finishing. So, you know that he has a chance he's going to take it.”