The Eze conundrum: The fact is, Eze has never had a great game with Havertz as his starting striker. His best performances last season came when Gyökeres was his striker, with a few good ones when Merino led the line. Eze naturally plays at his best alongside an in-behind runner who can run the channels and stretch the pitch vertically, giving him space to carry the ball or pass into. Gyökeres fits that profile perfectly, much like Mateta did for him at Palace. He also performs well alongside Merino because Merino tends to occupy the box. Eze is at his worst when paired with a space-suffocating striker who spends the entire game overlapping his wingers and making DM shifts. The space becomes congested, limiting Eze’s ability to operate, and he becomes predictable for opponents.