Arsenal take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League tonight following their thumping 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, with questions surrounding two players
Arsenal are looking to replicate their commanding performance against Tottenham in their Champions League face-off with Bayern Munich.
The Gunners trounced their north London rivals 4-1 in Sunday’s afternoon match, moving six points clear at the top of the Premier League. With just one defeat all season, Mikel Arteta’s squad return to European competition tonight where they boast a 100% win rate, matching their German adversaries.
The Bundesliga champions have yet to taste defeat across all competitions this season, but Arsenal will certainly back themselves given their current form. Eberechi Eze, fresh from his hat-trick three days ago, is one player who’ll be keenly anticipating the enticing fixture.
Likely to keep his place in Arteta’s starting line-up, the England star’s performance has sparked questions about captain Martin Odegaard’s position in the team. Here’s all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Odegaard agreement
It’s been a season marred by injury so far for the Arsenal skipper. The 26-year-old has made just six appearances in the Premier League, completing a full 90 minutes only once.
Despite his significance to Arteta’s side, he was notably absent in the 4-1 thrashing on Sunday, with Eberechi Eze shining in his stead.
The stellar display by the England ace has left some of the nation’s most respected pundits believing the Norwegian faces an uphill battle to reclaim his place in the starting line-up, reports the Mirror.
Rio Ferdinand shared his thoughts on his podcast following Sunday’s match, stating: “Odegaard has been someone; if he’s fit, he’s going to play.
“Right now, Eze has just said to Mikel Arteta, ‘You need to rethink that, and I’ve got to be the first name right now. I’ve got the shirt. Odegaard’s got to come and get it back off me even though he’s the captain’.”
His views were mirrored by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, with the latter declaring on Sky Sports that Eze is better suited to the number 10 position than the Gunners captain.
“I think he’s better in the 10,” the Manchester United legend remarked. “I love him in the 10. I love him in the 10 because I love Odegaard in the 10. So it’s two great options to have.
“But why do I like him in the 10? I think he’s got the ability to beat a man with the ball at his feet. I think he’s got the ability to sort of go and do something that’s more unpredictable, maybe than Odegaard.”
Kepa decision under scrutiny
With David Raya established as Arsenal’s clear first choice, Arteta opted to recruit former Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in a £5million transfer.
Brought in as deputy to his Spanish teammate, the 31-year-old has featured in just two matches this campaign, both in the Carabao Cup.
Despite holding the record as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after Chelsea splashed out £72m on him in 2018, Kepa’s decision to join Arsenal is something that Lee Dixon struggles to understand.
The Arsenal legend was asked if he thought the Spaniard had made a mistake by joining the North London club. Speaking to Metro, he said: “Yeah, I couldn’t believe he came.
“You would need to ask him what his reasons were because I don’t know. I don’t know why you would, at his stage of his career, make that decision.
“He’s never going to play. He’s only going to play if David Raya gets injured. So why would you want to do that? I guess all players are different and he might have a different mindset.
“There might be something going on personally that he needs to be settled in the area, I don’t know. But from a football point of view, it didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.”
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