Mikel Arteta sends clear message to out of favour Arsenal star ahead of Liverpool clash | Football

Mikel Arteta has launched a passionate defence of summer signing Eberechi Eze and claims the summer signing from Crystal Palace has reacted positively to being dropped.

The England international appeared to have put his early teething problems behind him when he marked his first appearance in a north London derby with a historic matchwinning hat-trick against a Tottenham side who he came close to joining from the Eagles.

Rather than representing the launchpad for his Gunners career, Eze has failed to kick on from that man of the match display to the extent whereby he has been an unused substitute in each of Arsenal’s last three Premier League games.

The return to form and fitness of club captain Martin Odegaard has hardly aided his cause while he still appears to be suffering the consequences for the part he played in the concession of Matty Cash’s goal in a defeat against Aston Villa last month.

But Arteta insisted: ‘Eberechi has been exceptional when he has played and when he hasn’t.

‘That’s a big quality that we have to recognise in our squad because then the other players can fulfil a role and everybody is happy because the team is performing and winning.

‘His level of desire has gone even higher. The way he trains every day, and the way he wants to do everything that it takes to change my mind and give him more minutes.

‘He has been phenomenal. That is not easy. It is easy to expect it. But with the level of players we are talking about, that is not easy.

‘I am very confident we are going to see a great version of Ebs in the coming months.’

Overall, Eze has four goals in the league which is just one shy of Viktor Gyokeres.

The Sweden international netted 97 times across 102 matches for his previous club Sporting Lisbon, but he heads into Arsenal’s clash against Arne Slot’s champions having failed to score from open play in his last nine appearances.

And when challenged if Gyokeres’ contribution is enough, Arteta said: ‘We want the goals spread, and our strikers scoring over 20 goals. That’s the idea.’

Arteta has insisted his Premier League title-chasing Arsenal side can only be mentioned in the same breath as the Invincibles if they start winning major trophies.

The Gunners host Liverpool on Thursday – a pivotal fixture in which Arteta declared his team have a “point to prove” – sitting at the top of the table.

Manchester City will have the chance to reduce the deficit to just three points when they face Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Arsenal, runners-up for the past three seasons, last won the title in 2004 when Arsene Wenger’s team went undefeated in an historic campaign.

Arteta’s players have amassed two more points and scored four more goals than the Invincibles did after 20 matches.

But speaking on the eve of his side’s contest against the champions, Arteta, when asked if his squad is as good as Wenger’s 2004 team, replied: ‘No, because the Invincibles won a lot.

‘They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.

‘There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies.

‘Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it’s not, and we have to make the margins even bigger.’

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