Arsenal: 3 areas Eddie Nketiah has to improve to aid top four push

2. Nketiah Has to Show Greater Engagement

Will Arsenal see any improvement from Nketiah for the remainder of his Arsenal career? If we’re being totally honest, and realistic, then no.

But Arteta has repeatedly noted how much of an excellent trainer he is and how hard to he works to improve, and all things considered he doesn’t appear to be a bad egg in the group. Everyone likes him and there are no hard feelings.

However, as much as elements like body language can be soft factors that there shouldn’t be too much drawn from, it has looked ever so slightly in his recent outings that Nketiah isn’t as engaged.

A lot of that is stylistic, however. Nketiah, being the poacher he is, can be guilty of drifting out of matches and becoming a passenger. He isn’t as engaged as normal, and when the ball isn’t finding its way to his feet he gradually loses any influence. Supporters talk about Arsenal playing with ten men with Lacazette but that rings truer with his teammate.

Nketiah can be serviceable, even without boasting the quality everyone would desire. There have been matches in the not too distant past where he is constantly running the channels, pressing opposition defences and winning the ball back even without impacting the game in possession.

While he was hooked early doors – which won’t have done him any favours – there were signs of this in the first leg draw against Liverpool back in January. Arsenal need more of that, whether it’s from the start or off the bench.

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