Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is being overly cautious with summer signing Eberechi Eze after the England international remained unused during the Gunners’ 3-2 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, with Eze not featuring since December 23.
Redknapp Questions Arteta’s Conservative Approach After Eze Stays on Bench
Arsenal came from behind to secure three points at Bournemouth after Evanilson gave the Cherries an early lead following a loose pass from Gabriel Magalhaes. Gabriel redeemed himself on 16 minutes by slamming the ball into the net from inside the penalty area to level the match for the visitors.
Two second-half finishes from Declan Rice gave Arsenal a commanding 3-1 advantage before Eli Junior Kroupi pulled one back for Bournemouth. The match finished 3-2, extending Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to six points ahead of second-placed Aston Villa, though third-placed Manchester City can reduce the gap to four points when they face Chelsea in their game in hand on Sunday.
Eze was named on the bench again but did not feature, with the summer signing having not played any minutes since December 23 when he started in the League Cup against Crystal Palace. Redknapp criticized Arteta’s decision to bring on Mikel Merino late in the game instead of using attacking options to extend the lead.
Redknapp told Sky Sports that Arteta was not looking to bring on Eze or Myles Lewis-Skelly to win the game 4-2 or 5-2, stating the manager was thinking about keeping hold of what he had. The former midfielder described Arteta as not being “that expansive” in his approach to game management.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson praised the squad depth available to Arteta, comparing it to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United teams. Merson highlighted how the three substitutions reminded him of Ferguson bringing on Van Nistelrooy, Scholes and Giggs, noting that Arsenal’s squad strength allows them to grind teams down as they did against both Villa and Bournemouth.
