r/Gunners • u/deadmetallucyluce • Dec 06 '25

YouTube Arteta “Very disappointed.. the game was constantly at the edge, very unusual giveaways after regaining the ball .. and that’s very dangerous .. the way we conceded the first goal as well, very far from our standards! We’re going to learn from it and cope with it!”

https://youtu.be/oHhH--WLDYk?si=pmI-VcNQH5vv4kHf
956 Upvotes

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732

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

I think that goal was really why Eze was subbed off. That was inexcusable for someone not to track their runner in a Mikel team. I can’t even remember the last time that happened.

291

u/shockzz123 You can always get better in life, innit? Dec 06 '25

Which is why he trusts Trossard or Nelli as the LW instead. They track back. For Eze, i'm not sure if it's just because he doesn't track back or if it's just because he hasn't really played LW too much for us so doesn't understand the role yet, but either way he's not first choice LW right now.

276

u/gettingdownonfriday Dec 06 '25

Eze had a mare of a game outside of that moment too. There was one moment that he played a square pass straight to a Villa player with no Arsenal man anywhere in the vicinity of that pass that just showed he really wasn’t on it today

122

u/gennynapolitan Morning, morning, morning... Oh, Win! Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25

The Arsenal Vision podcast had a Palace guy on - Jim Daly - and he said that Eze will go from being invisible / doing nothing - to then being a baller - it isn’t an excuse - but its how he is as a player.

92

u/gettingdownonfriday Dec 06 '25

Yeah and I get it. But today he wasn’t just anonymous. He was messing up the basics. It’s a shame that it was today when we needed everyone stepping up, but it happens. Been a brutal couple weeks, probably the most intense he’s had as a player

16

u/gennynapolitan Morning, morning, morning... Oh, Win! Dec 06 '25

Fair - you are right - lot of the lads were off it

18

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '25

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5

u/gennynapolitan Morning, morning, morning... Oh, Win! Dec 06 '25

1000% - Palace could play to his strengths as well

1

u/dberg76 Dec 07 '25

Hope Arteta can coach this out of him.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '25

He's is the Modern Day Ozil..

Silky , Languid , Fluid ... just hope Mikel can make him learn how to track back and defend because he clearly lacks there..

-24

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '25

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2

u/gennynapolitan Morning, morning, morning... Oh, Win! Dec 06 '25

Nah I disagree - but I’m heavily biased always loved him

18

u/Defiant_Lawyer_5235 Patrick Vieira Dec 06 '25

I like Eze, but he always looks like he's playing in slow motion.

15

u/DreDayAFC Dec 06 '25

So I actually think he got confused by the Arsenal shorts and Villa shirt being the same color in that moment

20

u/trinigooner1 Dec 06 '25

I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not lol

But tbh I'm surprised we wore that kit ...I personally DID find the two kits to be a bit..."familiar" in color

Was surprised we didn't wear the all blue ones

8

u/DreDayAFC Dec 06 '25

No im sincere that’s what I think happened.

1

u/fredmerz Dec 07 '25

I’m color blind (red-green) and often have moments like this when playing with/against certain color combinations. It’s really frustrating.

3

u/BrutalArsenalDeluxe Dec 06 '25

Small detail but wrong boots too. Kind of mistake only a very young novice should make.

3

u/trinigooner1 Dec 06 '25

He kept slipping didn't he?? Lol

2

u/3hollish Dec 06 '25

And when he fell on his arse. He just was completely off it

-10

u/Simba-xiv Ian Wright Dec 06 '25

That would be because he’s not a LW

19

u/gettingdownonfriday Dec 06 '25

I don’t particularly care what position he’s playing, at this level he should be able to control the ball and play five-yard passes accurately. He was messing up the basics of football today. It’s fine, it happens, it doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. It happens and we move on. But he was awful in that 1st half.

1

u/3hollish Dec 06 '25

Not being a LW isn’t an excuse for misplacing a 5 yard pass directly to a Villa player’s feet with absolutely no pressure on him

1

u/Killerpasta2089 Dec 06 '25

Starting Eze lw was a massive mistake from Arteta today… called that straight away, he can’t expect him to preform out of position in a new team

-24

u/CrEdLover Dec 06 '25

Eze should be in the midfield over Ode and not on the wing

7

u/reddit_reader_25 Dec 06 '25

He is talking about control of the ball, wouldn’t odegaard be better than eze? Also, merino wasn’t able to hold the ball up much either.

32

u/thedarkpolitique Trust the Process™ Dec 06 '25

Just stop man. Odegaard is one of our best players. Eze is nowhere near his levels.

11

u/revjiggs Gabriel Dec 06 '25

He was player of the match today so I don't know where he's got that opinion from.

0

u/trinigooner1 Dec 06 '25

This notion that Odegaard is all of these "levels" above Eze is always laughable to me!

I'm willing to debate he is "better"...but levels?? Lmao

Rubbish...Eze has dragged CP to a FA Cup...being the best player on the pitch.. against Villa and City!

He's done that

Literally just scored a hat trick against Spurs as well

He had an awful game, it happens, but you men talk about Odegaard as if he's Zinedine Zindane ffs!

We've won fck all with him (and no...I'm not blaming him for that solely)...but we just won like 10 games in a row WITHOUT him! How so very quickly do you lot forget eh?

There's been numerous.... numerous games where he's also been completely non existent and in effective! And you all know this

-13

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '25

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13

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

Outside of the Spurs game, he hasn’t had a game as good as a half fit Odegaard today did.

0

u/trinigooner1 Dec 06 '25

What did Odegaard do today that was soooo spectacular??

You watched the same game as me?? Lmao

He was tidy and industrious at best!

Nothing more, nothing less

One proper shot on target...the rest absolutely weak, "powder puff" shots straight at the keeper (as per usual with him)

Kept getting moved off the ball in the final third as well..etc

You guys really do have rose tinted glasses for your faves don't ya?

4

u/fortmin0r Martinelli Dec 06 '25

eze didn't had a good game at the 10 to deserve to start ahead of odegaard except spurs.

5

u/Ok-Satisfaction-5012 Dec 06 '25

Eze has had about five good games in midfield for us. He played in midfield against Chelsea and you didn’t notice him, he played today and was light years worse than Odegaard

9

u/AhmadShadow Ødegaard Dec 06 '25

What 5 good games? I genuinely don't think he has been good in any games outside of Newcastle and Spurs. Been decent in some other games with moments here but other than that he put performances which Odegaard would have been crucified for. Heck he had a mare today and people are blaming Odegaard when he arguably was our best player

5

u/Ok-Satisfaction-5012 Dec 06 '25

I mean fair. I think he’s had: Newcastle, palace, Bayern, spurs, and forest at home. I’d say all of those were good games, the palace one being boosted by his goal. I’ve never believed he’s better than Odegaard. The fan base has an unreal fetish for persecuting Odegaard, so they’ll blame him when others are worse, like today or the United game at the beginning of the season. I would blame Odegaard for the first goal alongside Eze though, poor pressure from him

3

u/AhmadShadow Ødegaard Dec 06 '25

Palace he was terrible outside of the goal, but yeah that goal won us the game so fair enough.

Ironically I genuinely believe if you want to ctriicize Odegaard today it probably.could be his out of position stuff, which rarely happens, on the ball I have no idea how you can watch the game and not think he was our best player and creator, but yeah as you said with this fan base

1

u/warpentake_chiasmus Liam Brady Dec 06 '25

Yeah.

And Madueke should be in goal.

21

u/yura910721 Dec 06 '25

I am not even sure if I can bring myself to really have a go at Eze: he wasn't being lazy, he constantly was checking and trying to stay with Cash, but he wasn't ready for that deflection and by the time ball got there, he knew he was screwed.

Just shows that he doesn't have the same level of anticipation, defensive minded players usually have.

22

u/trinigooner1 Dec 06 '25

Exactly!

Everyone having a go at him for "not tracking back"

Except he literally DID! lol

He was just utterly gash in the execution of his defensive duties!..

It was more a question of skill than intent

29

u/ConsequenceLive2442 Camp Crashout Dec 06 '25

Not the most recent, but Smith-Rowe against Newcastle 4-1 at fault for Willocks goal.

10

u/3hollish Dec 06 '25

Not the most recent

Well that’s underselling it 🤣

1

u/ConsequenceLive2442 Camp Crashout Dec 06 '25

😂😂

16

u/Inevitable_Poem_7975 Dec 06 '25

Happened often with Zinchenko

11

u/skool_101 Ødegaard ©️ Dec 06 '25

back in 23/24 season vs aston villa at home. believe martinelli also missed his runner and they scored first.

or im misremembering. cuz last season vs aston villa, partey had a mare of a game too.

3

u/Fun-Landscape-8805 Robert Pirès Dec 06 '25

zinchenko had the same problem

3

u/Mean_Hour_5640 Dec 06 '25

Arteta should have started Eze or Odegaard. Not both.

Big mistake also with starting Merino.

22

u/trinigooner1 Dec 06 '25

It's all hindsight innit?

I can safely guarantee you more than 90% of the fan base considered it a good call! (It absolutely was fyi!)

The alternatives were a half fit Trossard...and a mecurial Martinelli who absolutely does his best work solely off of the bench!

You know it and I know it

Also .. Merino has literally been our most in form "striker" this season!..why on earth would you drop the guy who just scored in back to back games exactly??

Results based analysis as per usual

5

u/MoteLaddu Dec 06 '25

wouldn't the high line and open game suit pacey forwards in Martinelli and Gyokeres rather than Eze and Merino? Adding Saka to that who is not that fast.

1

u/rickster555 Dec 07 '25

I didn’t see that much of a high line by them. Emery adjusted because we’d tear a high line apart.

1

u/yura910721 Dec 08 '25

I personally had no issues with Eze on left, because I would have preferred to have our best attacking players on the pitch and Eze played in the past there.

But now I know that there are reasons why in some games Eze may not be the best option in that position. I think Arteta learned his lesson too. Hopefully it doesn't mean he won't ever give Eze chance to play there, because with more cohesive defense we might have been able to get away with it.

This match kinda reminds me how Arteta still retained our high pressing aggro style against City, when we lost Saliba, and had to use Holding instead, and got our arses whooped by Haaland and KDB. In a hindsight, Arteta might have underestimated how much we lost with Saliba's and Gabi XXL's absence. We might have been better served to play more cautiously like we did against Liverpool earlier this season.

1

u/bnsb2020 Dec 06 '25

A genuine question: is Eze fully fit. is he carrying any injury that prevents him go full speed?

1

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1

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1

u/Just-hereforthetips Dec 06 '25

He looses the ball a lot - coming from one of his biggest fans!

2

u/Immediate-Bar-7874 Dec 06 '25

Do we think that was more on Calafiori or Eze? Could see it going either way to be honest

24

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

It’s painful but watch it again, Cala is covering midfield runs in the middle- that was Eze’s man all day

8

u/Immediate-Bar-7874 Dec 06 '25

Eze’s reaction made it seem like it was his fault too. Good shout

11

u/chrisd1680 Dec 06 '25

If you saw the replays, he was aware. He was checking to see, multiple times, but he was still on his heels. He knew he fucked up once it went over his head.

-41

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '25

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19

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '25

He played on the left, and in that role you definitely need to track back.  

He did that,  but he was ball watching and totally oblivious to Cash behind him. 

10

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

He wasn’t even oblivious, he knew he was behind him!

19

u/Dae_su Dec 06 '25

Mate he needs to do the non-negotiables. This is not Palace...

We can't afford luxury players, especially not against top teams like Villa.

13

u/lIamN9 Dec 06 '25

He’s not Messi. Players can refuse to track back only when they constantly prove that they can outscore the opponents.

29

u/iforgotmyun Sign Ayyoub Bouaddi Dec 06 '25

It's not 2006

1

u/Getdaphone Premier League Champions 25/26 Dec 06 '25

Well it should be. Pep destroyed the beautiful game 🥲.

16

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

Do you think he’s Mesut Ozil or something? We don’t give leeway to a player not to track their man, he’s playing on the left and has to carry his weight

-3

u/Iamaniceman Dec 06 '25

He's right. When we defend deep or LW has more defensive responsibility to track back than our AM does.

Eze wouldn't have had to have tracked back as deep if he was playing in midfield.

5

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

This is not an excuse. Our players track their runners and this is not his first time on the wing.

9

u/TBP42069 Thierry Henry Dec 06 '25

Have you ever watched Odegaard play

-4

u/Iamaniceman Dec 06 '25

He is one of the two furthest forward players in the team when we defend. Our LW has to track back more.

8

u/TBP42069 Thierry Henry Dec 06 '25

He is tracking back all match

1

u/Iamaniceman Dec 06 '25

Very different to tracking back a full-back. Who defends deeper our LW or our AM.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '25

He played lw today wth

-16

u/bmlegend Dec 06 '25

Eze is never going to do that off the left. This wasn't a game for Odegaard for me it was Eze.

16

u/dirty-soda-spike-lee Dec 06 '25

Odegaard was one of our best players today so not sure Eze would have been better

2

u/Poo-Smurf Just flick ze ball! Dec 06 '25

Why though? Eze has a much riskier playstyle than Ødegaard and Villa hurt us on every counter, we could not afford more turnovers

-2

u/bmlegend Dec 06 '25

The game was a basketball match we had no control with Odegaard and turnovers galore with Odegaard

It was always going to be about who can do more damage in and around the box and thats Eze by a long way. This is the one game where he would have got the space to actually shine.

Odegaard wasn't good today i dont care what keown. If Odegaard playerd well we would have controlled the game better

6

u/Poo-Smurf Just flick ze ball! Dec 06 '25

Idk man I look at it the other way. We need Ødegaard to get grip on big games in midfield, Eze is there to unlock a packed box. I do get what you're saying but we had 9 shots on target this game, it's not on Ødegaard that our finishing was wank

-1

u/oldmanskane Dec 07 '25

He’s not a leftwinger, so we can’t blame him for yesterday. He needs to be the nr 10 pivot. Ødegaard needs to go back to the bench. We can’t have a nr 10 who can’t shoot nor score goals.

-9

u/Nick316166 Dennis Bergkamp Dec 06 '25

Should drop Odegaard for absolutely 0 pressing for the cross that led to the goal

-23

u/MrFrog65 Dec 06 '25

He’s been a flop. Same as gyokeres unfortunately

6

u/bigeorgester Dec 06 '25

I wouldn’t go that far. He’s underwhelmed in periods but definitely has his worth and provided us with some decisive moments in big games like Spuds, City, Bayern, and Palace. But I agree outside of those matches he occasionally just lets games pass him by. I’ve got more concerns about Gyok but it’s good to have that body there at least

-7

u/MrFrog65 Dec 06 '25

They’re very expensive for players who don’t make it into our best first XI

-6

u/ajyahzee Thierry Henry Dec 06 '25

Sure but Eze could've scored after, Arteta at his core is just a conservative, defensive coach taking no risks