By Cameron Sheath

Arsenal battled back from 2-1 down to earn a respectable draw against German giants Bayern on Wednesday night, with goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice. There aren’t too many players in Mikel Arteta’s squad that haven’t been the subject of criticism this season, but I was particularly happy for the two goal scorers to have made such a big impact.

I think the concern around Eze and his recent form is fair; Eze is a peg that is neither round nor square, and fitting him seamlessly into Arteta’s ultra-organised scheme has been a challenge wherever he’s lined up. His recent appearances for England also left plenty to be desired, though, and he has looked like a player struggling to find his rhythm so far this campaign.

Then there’s the question of his role for Arsenal over the next year or two. The queue behind Martin Odegaard for the right-eight position gets longer every season. Mikel Merino appears to be the first-choice backup for the captain at the moment, with Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman both eyeing that spot long term.

On the left, Eze is in an interesting battle with Noni Madueke for a rotational role alongside Christos Tzolis, with the former Chelsea man edging that one as things stand. That leaves Eze in the unenviable role of being third or fourth choice in multiple positions, a situation Myles Lewis-Skelly found himself in this time last year, and one that Cristhian Mosquera will also face once William Saliba returns.

It’s difficult as a fan to watch players you like struggle, and the idea that Eze’s dream move to Arsenal is already turning sour is a sad thought. However, you only have to cast your eyes back to last season to realise that this is nothing new.

When you think of Eze’s debut season with the club, of course the goals against Spurs stand out. But I also remember the unbelievable winner against Newcastle in the run-in, and the brilliant late assist for Gabriel Martinelli to rescue a point against City at the Emirates, not to mention the winner against his former club in October.

But in the early weeks of the season, as Eze sat on the bench as deputy to Odegaard, many were already speculating that the attacking midfielder had made a mistake. Some were even suggesting that Eze was already regretting choosing Arsenal, as he would be starting week in/week out for almost any other club. From Day 1, Eze’s role has never been to rival Gabriel and Rice for minutes, but to sprinkle his magic where it’s needed throughout the season.

And that’s the balance that Arteta has to find. Players need enough game time so as not to stagnate, but the squad needs enough players to cover every eventuality. I’d feel much better about Bukayo Saka’s latest injury if I knew we had more a more proven right winger than Madueke to fall back on, but Arteta would no-doubt have angered many fans had he brought in such a player in the summer.

Had Arsenal signed Vini Jr., for example, Eze would have been relying on an injury to even get off the bench in the Premier League. Dowman, meanwhile, would have been impacted indirectly, as Madueke wouldn’t have been needed on the left. We all wanted a left winger in the summer, but we also want to see Dowman and Eze get more minutes, which they almost certainly will with Saka sidelined.

It’s the same situation in midfield, where many worried about overcrowding after the Bruno Guimaraes signing. However, with Martin Zubimendi sidelined, Lewis-Skelly is the only out-and-out No. 6 in the Arsenal squad, with Rice and Guimaraes more suited to rotating as Arsenal’s left-eights. One fewer midfielder in the squad would have meant Rice and Guimaraes both starting each game, with Merino the only sub, indirectly drawing Eze or Dowman inside and impacting our now threadbare wide options.

Arsenal have an outstanding squad with incredible depth, and yet that depth is already being tested in October. Ezri Konsa’s arrival from Aston Villa drew similar concerns about playing time, with his £55 million price tag a hefty fee for a player whose long-term outlook was deputising for Saliba. But that money already looks well spent with Konsa hitting the ground running with his new team.

I’ve got more on Konsa, but I’m determined to get outside and breathe air at some point today, so I’ll save that for Monday’s blog.

To conclude, I think I worry about certain players’ gametime as much as anyone, but it’s already proven vital to have players in reserve for when injuries hit. Half of the Arsenal team have proven prone to an issue or two during their time at the club, and players like Eze, Dowman, and Viktor Gyokeres will all have opportunities to contribute, just as they did last season.

It’s a long campaign, and while he can’t afford to take them for granted, Arteta has stacked his bench for a reason.

Paul will be bringing you the preview and subsequent reaction for the visit of Everton on Saturday, and I’ll do likewise with the Women’s trip to Spurs. In the meantime, feel free to subscribe, for free, at the top of the page to receive email notifications anytime we post a new article. Thanks for reading!