Eberechi Eze says the missed penalty in Arsenal's Champions League final shootout defeat to Paris Saint Germain has not shaken his belief. The 27-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace last summer, says he would still step up for England at the World Cup if called upon. Thomas Tuchel has already named him in England's 26-man squad.
Why Eze is backing himself again
"If called upon, for sure. Why wouldn't I take it?" Eze told metro.co.uk. He also said, "I'm grateful it happened. I'm going to grow from it, learn from it and move forward."
That is the right attitude, and it matters. A missed shootout penalty can turn into a season-long shadow if a player starts shrinking from the next big moment. Eze is doing the opposite. He is treating the miss as part of the job, not a reason to duck the next one.
His recent numbers do not suggest a player in trouble either. Eze has a 6.7 average rating across his last two Premier League appearances, and he also rated 6.6 in Arsenal's Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. Arsenal's last five league and European fixtures read WWWWL, a decent enough run for a side that was still competing deep into the spring.
Tuchel wants the squad to carry him through
Tuchel's line on Eze was straightforward. "It's painful for Ebs but of course, I will take care of it, the group will take care of him and I think the extra week they had will help a lot," he said. He also added that "a penalty means you did everything right. It couldn't be closer."
That backing matters because England do not play their opening Group L match until Wednesday night, against Croatia at Dallas' AT&T Stadium on 17 June. Eze has time, and Tuchel has already made clear he does not see the miss as a reason to freeze him out.
The more interesting part is probably the player himself. Eze is not hiding from the moment, and England now have a direct route to keep his confidence intact before the tournament starts. If he is called on again, his answer has already been given.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →