Eberechi Eze’s early substitution in Arsenal’s Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen has created concern, after he signalled for a substitution.
The Arsenal star was taken off after scoring a goal, leaving Mikel Arteta anxious about his fitness for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
Eze’s Impact and Injury Update
Eze scored a goal in the first half against Bayer Leverkusen. Following Declan Rice’s goal, Eze was replaced by Kai Havertz. Eze sought to ease worries about his early exit at the final whistle, saying: “Yeah, I’m alright, I’ll be okay.”
The 27-year-old’s goal helped Arsenal’s push towards the Champions League quarter-finals. The Gunners needed a win against their German visitors after returning from the BayArena empty-handed. Eze said about his goal: “I don’t know if I could dream of scoring a goal like that. It’s a special goal, I’m going to remember it for a long time. I’ll be rewatching this one for a long time.”
Upson’s View on Eze’s Integration
Matthew Upson believes Eze is settling into life in north London after his summer arrival.
Upson explained: “Just finding the change of gear to play at a club like Arsenal takes a little bit of time to settle in. Eze is up and down at the moment but he’s getting there. Especially a season like this, there’s so much winning pressure, a slip up is around the corner at every moment.”
Carabao Cup Final Implications
Eze’s early departure will cause some worry, with Arteta’s team aiming to claim their first trophy this weekend. Arsenal face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
- Arsenal haven’t lifted the trophy since 1993.
- They’ve suffered final defeats to Chelsea.
- They’ve suffered final defeats to Birmingham City.
- They’ve suffered final defeats to Manchester City.
Arteta had already started rotating his squad before Eze’s substitution. Following Rice’s strike in the second half, Arteta introduced Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Gabriel Mart.