Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has suggested taking Eberechi Eze off the pitch was a key mistake made by Mikel Arteta in Arsenal’s defeat by Manchester City on Sunday.
The Gunners did battle with their title rivals City at the Etihad in a game that could go a long way to deciding the Premier League title, with City winning the match 2-1 courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki.
Arsenal’s goal came from Kai Havertz, who closed down Gianluigi Donnarumma and forced the City goalkeeper into a mistake that saw his attempted ball out intercepted.
Havertz played up front for Arsenal, preferred to Viktor Gyokeres, and was flanked by Noni Madueke and Eze. It was a rare start on the left for Eze, who was chosen ahead of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
He had some joy drifting in from wide areas and hit the post in the second half, until he was substituted after 74 minutes. Arsenal would ultimately play around 24 minutes without him.
That move, according to Vieira, was a mistake. The former Arsenal captain, who was skipper when the club last won the league in 2004, admitted he was ‘disappointed’ by Arteta’s decision to withdraw him for Trossard.
‘He didn’t stay on the left-hand side,’ the former midfielder said on Sky Sports. ‘He came inside and created the overload and that was, I think, the tactical plan.
‘It was really interesting because he touched the ball a lot.
‘I was a bit disappointed, to be honest, that he came off because I think he was getting into the game and he could create chances for scoring goals because he’s got that quality.
‘Taking him off, I think I was disappointed to see him off.’
Arsenal are now three points ahead of City in the standings, with their rivals having a game in hand.
The Gunners have a slightly better goal difference – 37 to City’s 36 – but that will change if City win their game in hand against Burnley on Wednesday.
It could now be a mental game, as Arsenal chase the trophy that has eluded them for two decades, according to Vieira.
‘I was confident that Arsenal would get a result, and by that I mean at least a draw because it is a really difficult team to beat and score goals,’ he said. ‘Today, they had a good performance but the difference between good and great teams are the teams who are not used to winning and the ones who compete at this level all the time.
‘You can see the difference today on the field and those top players made a difference today.
‘The momentum is on City’s side. It will be interesting to see how Arsenal recover because it’s a huge disappointment for them.
‘They will feel the pressure more now. I always question the mental strength of the team and I will question it more now regarding the result today.’
