Chelsea vs Arsenal: Nketiah has earned chance to prove himself

It was once again a disappointing match for Arsenal as they fell short at Southampton to make it three straight losses. Things seem pretty bleak right now for the Gunners going into another tough week of matches, but upon a rewatch of the match (do you see what I put myself through for you all) a bright spot did stand out to me, Eddie Nketiah.

It has been a disappointing season for the 22-year-old, registering only 269 minutes of Premier League football so far. But with Lacazette out for COVID he had an opportunity, and I think he took it.

Eddie has long been touted as a fox-in-the-box type of striker but every time we have seen him this season it has become apparent that he is growing into a lot more than that. His movement and instinct inside the six-yard box has always been fantastic, but his link-up play and lateral movements have taken a step up as well.

In his cameo vs Crystal Palace, he nearly scored from outside of the 18-yard box with a curling strike that struck the upright, which is a good sign of the confidence he has in his shooting.

Eddie Nketiah has earned the right for more opportunities at Arsenal as he prepares to face Chelsea ahead of making a decision on his future

When you compare his performance on the weekend to what we have been seeing from Lacazette lately it is like night and day. Nketiah was not only dropping deep like Laca loves to do but also playing on the shoulder of the last man, ready to make a run which he would do many times throughout the match creating opportunities to be put through on goal.

He is also a more fluid player than the Frenchman, which meshes well with Arsenal’s other attacking players’ tendencies to be positionally fluid, showing up both on the left and right sides of the field to receive the ball and link play with his teammates as well as showing the pace to get back into the box which Arsenal’s captain lacks.

Multiple times in the match, Eddie swapped positions with Saka or Martinelli on the left-wing. This is something we have seen a lot with him with his variability in positioning and drifting into different areas of the pitch. I would actually like to see more of this with him slotting into the left half-space more to create a triangle with Xhaka and whoever is deployed on the left for Arsenal.

Eddie continues to add more and more variability to his game to become more than just a one-dimensional striker and that can help Arsenal more than the predictability opposing teams have been exploiting in Lacazette’s game.

Like Lacazette, Nketiah only has a few months left on his deal in north London and has mentioned many times his understandable desire for game time will dictate where he ends up next season. Eddie has been a constant professional despite this rightfully frustrating process for the Hale End graduate, and there is no better time for England U21’s top scorer to try and prove he belongs to stay at Arsenal and play than with these last matches of the season.

Based on Lacazette’s current form and how Eddie has performed nearly every time he has been called upon this season, there is no reason he shouldn’t get more chances to prove himself from here until the end of the season. If this is Eddie’s last season in north London – which it is almost certain to be – I wish him all the best and I think he will thrive in a team that caters to his strengths.