The 45-minute mistake Mikel Arteta made to cost Arsenal three points against Manchester City
Mikel Arteta very rarely makes half-time substitutions, and while I was pleased to see both Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze entering the field of play, the changes were 45 minutes too late. Less so Saka of course, with Noni Madueke having a good game once again.
Yet seeing Eze enter the field halfway through, when he should have been in from the start, while also going on to get the assist, which saved the Gunners a point, was bittersweet. Arteta has used the midfield of Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi three times this season, while on the field in their structure, they have scored zero goals.
Only in Bilbao, when Merino moved further up the pitch after the substitution of Viktor Gyokeres, did the goals come courtesy of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. Arteta refused to explain the selection after the game, claiming that there simply was not enough time to do so.
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