Jermain Defoe singles out Arsenal star after Brentford draw: ‘Not good enough’

Eberechi Eze struggled to make an impact in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford (Shutterstock) Jermain Defoe singled out Eberechi Eze for criticism after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford on Thursday evening. Arsenal’s lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League is now four points after Noni Madueke’s second-half header was cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter to secure a draw for Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. Eze, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact against Brentford and Arsenal’s £67.5 million summer signing was substituted at half-time for Martin Odegaard. The England international has been unable to secure a regular starting role under Mikel Arteta since arriving from Crystal Palace and Defoe believes the 27-year-old is ‘playing with the handbrake on’. When asked if he felt that it was an uncharacteristic performance from Arsenal, Defoe told Premier League Productions: ‘I think so, yeah. I think it’s the pressure. Theo Walcott believes Mikel Arteta will be ‘unhappy’ with several players in his squad (Getty) ‘But saying that, it’s a difficult place to go, you know what you’re getting when you go to Brentford. It’s not going to be easy but you have to try to make it easy. Get your football fix Don't want to miss the week's biggest football stories? Metro's exclusive football newsletter, In The Mixer, is your essential guide. From the latest transfer rumours and managerial moves to analysis of the biggest games and a lot more, our experts have you covered. Sign up here, it's an open goal. ‘You have to cut out individual mistakes, in terms of the concentration levels they have to be high. You have to limit them of chances, they [Arsenal] didn’t do that really, I thought Brentford were better in the second half, I thought Arsenal wasted the first half. ‘Eze was not good enough. Although I still feel like he’s playing with the handbrake on. I know he hasn’t played games and probably is not match fit, but you still expect a little bit more. ‘But they [Arsenal] were different tonight, and I think that’s a mentality thing.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Meanwhile, former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott believes Arteta will be ‘unhappy’ with several players in his squad for their display against Brentford. Brentford 1-1 Arsenal: Gunners miss chance to restore title lead after pulsating draw Man Utd dodge bullet as Roy Keane says Chelsea signing 'lacks quality' Ian Wright 'not happy' with 'level' of Arsenal star ‘I felt like with Man City getting the points the day before, there’s always that pressure of, ‘we need to do the job’,’ Walcott said. ‘It’s still in their hands. They have plenty of games to make up the points, of course. Everyone will look at that game when they play each other. ‘He [Arteta] will not be happy, he will not be happy with that. He will be unhappy with a lot of players as well tonight because they were indifferent.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arrow MORE: Arsenal star spotted limping onto team bus after Brentford draw in latest injury scare Arrow MORE: Martin Keown blown away by ‘magnificent’ Arsenal star after draw with Brentford Arrow MORE: Keith Andrews complains about Arsenal star after Brentford draw Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source Football Newsletter – In The Mixer Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.

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