With Arsenal’s main man, Gabriel Jesus being out of action, Eddie Nketiah has been asked to come into the team and help Arsenal maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table.
Both strikers are very different in the way they play the number nine position. Gabriel Jesus will play with his back to goal, he’s strong on the ball, he’ll bring others into play and create chances. Eddie Nketiah scores goals, it’s as simple as that.
The 23-year-old has scored four goals in four games for Mikel Arteta’s side since the restart so I’d say he’s stepped up to the plate pretty well so far, but is there a reason for that?
His personal trainer has revealed to ESPN how the forward’s return to form is partly because of how he has built his body over the last few seasons.
Nketiah used to have a skinny build where defenders could push him off the ball without any real hassle, however that isn’t the case anymore.
Chris Varnavas tells ESPN: “Nketiah is one of the best athletes we’ve got on our books in terms of his attitude and commitment. He’s just on another level. His goal was to build a bit of muscle, build some strength and work on his athleticism. So, like his strength, his speed and his power. So, yeah, we sat down with the family, with himself and we put a plan together. What we do in the gym, we transfer it onto the pitch. That’s the most important thing.”
Sam Dean of The Telegraph also said: “In the last year or so, Nketiah has been working on adding more layers to his game and more muscle to his body. It was clear in the final weeks of last season when he scored 5 goals in 8 starts, that those hours in the gym had made a difference.”
The Premier League is the toughest league in the world for a reason and Eddie Nketiah has done what he needed to do in order to compete at this level.
As long as Arsenal keep creating chances, Eddie Nketiah will score the goals and that’s down to how clinical he is but also how he’s now ready to take on any defender in the league. I have no doubt about that.
