Eberechi Eze was a surprise inclusion in Arsenal's matchday squad for Sunday's win at Liverpool, with manager Mikel Arteta describing it as "incredible" that the midfielder was available. At one point last week there were fears Eze could be sidelined for a while, but his determination to be ready for his team has impressed those behind the scenes at the Emirates.
Arteta's praise for Eze's character
Arteta's comment came in response to a question about Christos Tzolis and the risk of throwing the winger straight into the starting XI after injury. The Gunners boss said: "It's the energy that he had in training. When I asked him the question, how convinced he was. We had an issue with Ebs as well, it was incredible that he was in the squad.
"I want to give credit to all the medical and performance team. What they are doing with those boys is incredible. Every three days, to keep everybody at this level.
"These are the margins sometimes when you win a football match, whether you have somebody available or not. They deserve that credit.
"With Christos, incredible. He didn't want to come off, he wanted to complete the game. We took some risks, but at a point we decided enough was enough."
Mixed season so far
Eze has had a mixed start to the season. He was excellent from the bench at Aston Villa but has struggled when starting from the left. He scored a brilliantly taken goal at Bayern Munich in an epic Champions League tie but was ineffective as a substitute in Arsenal's humiliating Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood.
However, Eze was playing with niggles and injury issues that have bugged him this season. After the Fleetwood game, he underwent checks and there were fears he could miss a few games. But Eze shrugged off pain and fitness issues last season to help Arsenal when they needed him most and has stepped up again this time.
Stepping up when needed
Eze battled on, trained ahead of the Liverpool game, and made himself available because he knew the team was short on numbers and options. Bukayo Saka is out injured while Max Dowman was suspended after the club's unsuccessful appeal against his red card at Fleetwood.
Even though Eze did not get off the bench at Anfield, his willingness to make himself available has earned him glowing praise from his manager and respect among the coaching staff. Some players have to be just right to deem themselves fit to play. Tzolis pushed himself to be back and fit to start, and Eze is showing the same qualities in abundance to ensure he is ready to support his team.
