The baffling Mikel Arteta comments on Ethan Nwaneri creating puzzling Arsenal selection decision
It was instinctual to write after the defeat to Bournemouth in frustration that Ethan Nwaneri had found himself not given a start and instead only coming on as a substitute with the score two-down at the time. Another chance for Arsenal to see Nwaneri play against Shakhtar Donetsk was again squandered despite the need for a spark and more drive in the game.
Raheem Sterling came off the bench and received criticism for his performance. The winger was spotted jogging and not providing enough of an influence on the game.
Contrast that to what little we have seen of Nwaneri in his start and goals against Bolton and the encouraging cameo appearances from the bench. It is night and day between the pair at the moment, yet Mikel Arteta continues to lean on Sterling’s experience.
What is strangest about the snubbing of Nwaneri right now is how Arteta spoke about the player when he came on against Leicester to help the Gunners score two late goals. In the post-match press conference, it was not a question even referencing the teenager instead about dealing with the difficult context of the game.
"So happy - that’s what I told them,” he said. “It got nasty, it got difficult, it was emotionally difficult to accept with the amount of situations that we created and the amount of goals that we should’ve scored but it wasn’t and now what?
“You don’t feel sorry for yourself, you take ownership, you start taking more risks, everybody.”
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He added: “Nwaneri, 17 years old - he takes the ball the first one is an action like this, he runs past two, three players and wants to take a shot. I just love it, you want to play here, you want to be at that level you need to play with that courage. I really, really, really value that from the team today.”
And yet, since then and even in the absence of both Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, Nwaneri remains out of the picture for the most part. If against Leicester and Bournemouth the confidence is there to call on him to help change the game, why is it yet to be there from the start of more high-profile games than the League Cup against Bolton for instance?
It is almost certain he will start next week in the fourth-round Carabao Cup clash at Preston. Arteta was asked before the game with Shakhtar Donetsk about Nwaneri and the growing desire from fans to see him play, but the Spaniard’s response did little to provide encouragement that might change.
“I think it’s identifying moments and understanding where he is, where the team is and where is the optimal moment to throw a player into that context,” he said. “He’s already done a lot in a very short period of time, so let’s take it step by step and make sure those steps are consistent and can allow him to grow in the manner and form that we want him in the team.”