The tone of Arsenal\u2019s performance against Newcastle United on Saturday flipped once they lost Kai Havertz and then Eberechi Eze.<\/p>\n
It had been a fun performance, with Eze\u2019s personality shining through, but once Havertz went off \u2014 and later Eze \u2014 it turned into a nervy, transition-heavy affair.<\/p>\n
Mikel Arteta said after the match that both players had muscular issues, with Eze telling reporters, \u201c<\/span>I am OK. It was just precautionary.\u201d But both make Arsenal a more attacking threat, with Eze\u2019s creativity and individualism central.<\/span><\/p>\n The team\u2019s performance after his and Havertz\u2019s substitutions was not convincing, but having at least one of the two fit could literally be half the battle going forward. Without Havertz, there are at least the combinations between Eze and Martin Odegaard. Without both, Arsenal regress into playing long balls that inevitably result in opposition attacks.<\/p>\n Against Newcastle, the freedom Eze had to roam was on an even bigger scale than the promising display in Arsenal\u2019s 2-1 loss to Manchester City last week. At times, he was Arsenal\u2019s deepest midfielder, helping with build-up. At others, he was receiving the ball in the centre circle or just to the right of the D of the opposition box.<\/p>\n Arteta has made a big deal about getting the midfielder around the edge of the box. No Premier League player has scored more goals from outside the box since the start of the 2022-23 season than Eze, and when it comes to breaking a deadlocked game, five of his 10 Arsenal goals have been the first in a match.<\/p>\n Capable of producing magic moments that are often necessary when matches can become rigid, Eze told reporters: \u201c<\/span>When I\u2019m in positions like that, I try my best to create and be as effective as possible.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>My job is to help the team score goals, to create goals. The more I\u2019m in those positions, the more likely, the more confident I am that things are going to happen. I try to take the responsibility to be the one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Arsenal generating an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.49 to Newcastle\u2019s one will not be a surprise given the manner of many of their games this season, but that is why a player like Eze has been needed.<\/p>\n \n Eze celebrates with Madueke after his goal (Izzy Poles \u2013 AMA\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n His goal had an xG of 0.03, but you would not know that by looking at the quality of the strike. Over the course of this season, the 27-year-old has scored seven league goals from an xG of four. That xG overperformance is the highest in the Arsenal squad and ranks eighth across the Premier League.<\/p>\n This campaign has not been easy for Eze, though.<\/p>\n While his initial impact on the team was apparent, after failing to track Matty Cash\u2019s run in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, the midfielder started just one of Arsenal\u2019s next 10 matches. Arteta cited the number of matches Eze had played before Christmas, but the England international has had to earn his way back into the fold, and keeping sight of the type of player he is while Arteta finds ways to unlock that has been crucial.<\/p>\n Speaking before Arsenal\u2019s goalless draw with Sporting CP in the Champions League, Eze admitted that adjusting to the amount of tactical detail at Arsenal was one of his biggest challenges. He had structure at Crystal Palace under Roy Hodgson and Oliver Glasner, but, accustomed to his surroundings, it was easier to be a free spirit.<\/p>\n Even then, he spoke about the importance of sticking to his style of play in a footballing world that was becoming more rigid. That has only been heightened at Arsenal with the number of tight matches that come as a result of teams sitting back and increased tactical instruction.<\/p>\n Asked how he has found staying true to his style, Eze said: \u201cIt\u2019s something that you have to be conscious of all the time. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re in an environment and industry that at times, if you\u2019re not careful, can pull you away from yourself. I know the reason I\u2019m here is because of the type of player I am. Staying true to that is everything, really. If I stop doing that stuff, I\u2019m no longer the player I can be or even the player that was brought to Arsenal. As long as I\u2019m being myself and playing the game the way I see it should be played, and supplementing the ideas at the club, that\u2019s the perfect combination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Of all the players in the squad, Eze is in a unique position as somebody who was in Arsenal\u2019s academy but is not an academy graduate like Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly or Max Dowman. He is slightly older and had exposure to different Arsenal squads.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/04\/26085408\/GettyImages-2272492525-scaled.jpg\")
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