Alan Shearer says Mikel Arteta has ‘one or two things he must iron out’ as he bids to win the Premier League and secure other silverware at Arsenal.
The Gunners, with out a league title since 2004, boast a four-point lead over second-placed Manchester City with 12 league games remaining.
Arsenal’s aspirations don’t solely lie within the Premier League, nevertheless, with Arteta’s side favourites to win the Champions League after topping the group stage table with eight straight wins.
The Gunners are also still in each domestic cup competitions, facing Man City in the subsequent month’s Carabao Cup final and preparing to face Wigan Athletic within the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Arteta can be delighted by his team’s progress but Shearer has warned the Arsenal boss that he still has certain things to ‘iron out’ within the business end of the season.
The England legend and Premier League record goalscorer is ‘surprised’ by the shape of £67.5m Arsenal signing Eberechi Eze, for instance, and says his recent struggles could even cost him a spot in England’s World Cup squad.
Arsenal fans were delighted by the signing of Eze from Crystal Palace, particularly as he seemed destined to affix north London rivals Tottenham, however the 27-year-old has underwhelmed on the Emirates Stadium.
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Eze scored a superb hat-trick in the primary north London derby of the season but those goals account for 3 of the five he has contributed since moving from south London.
The England international has often found himself on the bench in recent weeks and was subbed off at half-time during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
Shearer has described Eze’s downfall as ‘remarkable’ and insists Arsenal looked ‘higher’ without their big-money summer signing against Brentford.
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‘Mikel Arteta has got one or two things that he must iron out,’ Shearer told Betfair. ‘I mean, the situation with Eze against Brentford was surprising a bit because he seems lost or at the very least he did in that game.
‘He took him off at half time they usually got somewhat bit higher. They put more pressure on Brentford after which they got the goal. But I believed Brentford were price their point at the very least.
‘Eze looks lost. It’s remarkable really, isn’t it? The guy we’re talking about who scored the hat-trick within the north London derby. Everyone was pondering, wow, what a player he’s and what a time he’s going to have at Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze after Brentford draw
Why he subbed off Eberechi Eze at half-time…
Because with the way in which, especially that they were pressing, I feel we wanted one other sort of profile to generate many more problems for them around those areas, and I feel he [Odegaard] got here on within the pitch rather well and the team had one other gear and more threat to reach to the areas that we desired to do and that call.
On Eze’s start at Arsenal…
Well, I feel he had moments and it’s hard once you move to a brand new club. It’s at all times like this, and once you play against a team that’s like this and the ball is numerous times not on the ground and you could have to be continually breaking the play and do this, especially for attacking and artistic players, it’s harder.
‘The way in which he kind of walked out stuffed with confidence in that Arsenal stadium when he got his move and he looked as if he was a natural fit and, and belonged there. But he looked lost against Brentford.
‘He looked as if he needed the world to swallow him up. He didn’t look comfortable in any respect.’
Shearer believes Eze’s struggles at Arsenal could even cost him a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Eze has earned 16 caps for his country, scoring 3 times, and was expected to be named in England’s World Cup squad.
‘He won’t be within the England squad if he’s not going to be playing,’ said Shearer, who scored 30 goals in 63 appearances for England.
‘I feel that was his first start from mid-December last 12 months as well. He’s hardly had any starts as well and that has to alter if he’s going to get within the England squad.’
Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth-round opponents Wigan are currently within the League One relegation zone and were thrashed 6-1 by Peterborough United earlier this month.
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