Arsenal were beaten by PSG in the UEFA Champions League final today.
The two teams cancelled each other out after extra time, and the match was decided on penalties. Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed from the spot, and former Liverpool star Steven Gerrard has now slammed Eze for his stuttering run-up before the penalty.
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Steven Gerrard slams Eze
Gerrard, who won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool, explained that players are already under tremendous pressure during penalties in matches of this magnitude, and that Eze only made it harder for himself.
Steven Gerrard said on TNT Sports (h/t Metro): “Penalties are hard enough. Think about the magnitude of the game, the stadium, the atmosphere, it’s hard enough without any of that nonsense. Put your foot through it, back your technique.”
Eze joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace at the start of the season. He has had a very disappointing season personally and has struggled to get regular opportunities. He was outstanding for Crystal Palace during his time with the Eagles, but he has not managed to hit those levels at his new club. The penalty miss in the final of the UEFA Champions League will only make matters worse for him.
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Eberechi Eze needs to improve
It remains to be seen whether he can bounce back from this disappointment and get back to his best next season. There is no doubt that he is a quality player and could be an asset to Arsenal next season.
Arsenal have won the Premier League title, but they would have hoped to win their first UEFA Champions League trophy. They put on a strong defensive show, but the lack of quality going forward eventually cost them.
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Eze messed up but Arteta, with all due respect, was the biggest failure. No thanks to his erratic behaviour. He is highly unstable.
From last season till the beginning of this season, any game you see Lewis-Skelly on the left back and Martinelli on the wide position, bear in mind we’re going to massacre the team – big or small. If a big team like Man City, draft Martinelli to the right, as was the case of last season when we spanked them 5-1. All of a sudden Arteta pushed the two out from the starting eleven. The Man City we hammered 5-1 last season is to beat us two times in a row! Atletico Madrid we humiliated 4 nil with those players, almost removed us without them.
Arsenal doesn’t score much on field play goals with Hincapie and we cannot afford to be playing such defensive game at all times as we risked penalty, just like what happened against PSG