Mikel Arteta's frustrated reaction towards Eberechi Eze after he failed to meet demand

Mikel Arteta seemingly made his thoughts clear on Eberechi Eze's latest performance against Chelsea

Mikel Arteta was frustrated with Eberechi Eze after he failed to build on his north London derby momentum during a disappointing game against Chelsea.

The Arsenal midfielder scored a brace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, just three months on from his historic hat-trick in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium. Many hoped Eze, who completed a dream £67.5million transfer to his boyhood club from Crystal Palace last summer, would kick on in the final stretch of the season after finding his spark the previous week against Spurs.

Five of Eze’s six league goals this season have come in the north London derby, with the England international going long periods without a goal or an assist. Still, Arteta trusted the playmaker post-Spurs by keeping him in the starting eleven for the home clash with Chelsea on Sunday, something Eze has rarely had the opportunity to enjoy this season.

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Yet, he did not justify Arteta’s decision against the Blues, struggling to get into the game in a performance more akin to his other displays this season as opposed to his heroics against Tottenham.

Despite playing the full 90 minutes, Eze’s brightest moment came in the first half when he tried to lob the Chelsea goalkeeper from the halfway line. His decision-making left plenty to be desired and he was unusually sloppy on the ball in the final third, wasting attacks which could have ensured a more comfortable victory than the 2-1 win Arteta’s men managed to scrape.

Arteta was visibly frustrated with him on more than one occasion due to his slack touches, with the Spaniard cutting an agitated figure on the touchline. Eze’s latest display comes despite pundit Wayne Rooney calling for more consistent performances from him after the win over Spurs.

The Manchester United legend had criticised Eze by saying he should have made himself "impossible to drop" in Arteta’s eyes with his performances this season. And Rooney is unlikely to have been impressed at the weekend.

Rooney previously said: "I don’t think he’s been good enough this season. The two Tottenham games have shined a big light on him but in other games I’ve watched him and not thought he’s been good enough.

"I think a lot of that is probably through not playing consistently, I get that, but when you talk about mentality and character, if I was him I would be trying to make it very difficult for the manager to leave me out, both with your performances and in training. Clearly he’s not doing enough to warrant a place in the team consistently.

"I get that Martin Odegaard is the captain but you’ve got to make it almost impossible for Mikel Arteta to leave you out. After the first Tottenham game I don’t think he did enough to stay in the team so you just hope now for him he plays better consistently to stay in the game. I think he needs to perform a little bit better than he has so far this season."

Rooney added: "I think Eze is better in the penalty box but Martin Odegaard is better when he’s a bit deeper. He’s very clever and picks up some great positions, his movement is very good, you just want to see a bit more from him in the final third. If you could combine the two of them you’d have a great player!"

To Eze’s credit, he was far better with his pressing against Chelsea than earlier in the season and there was no questioning his work ethic. Whether Arteta will stick with him over captain Martin Odegaard as his main creative force for the remainder of the campaign remains to be seen.

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