Mikel Arteta talked about the response of Eberechi Eze to his early substitution last weekend.

The attacker was asked to play on the left wing at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest, getting brought off the pitch for the start of the second half. Noni Madueke, who had been one of the stronger performers against Leeds United the previous matchday, then grabbed the game’s only goal.

Eze's response at the Allianz Arena

Eze was then sat on the substitutes’ bench at the Allianz Arena, but an injury for Bukayo Saka forced the manager to throw on the ten in the same position and move Madueke to the right wing.

Eze got the opening goal of the 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, making a positive impression on the evening. His contribution conveyed the ‘next-man-up’ mentality Mikel wants from squad members.

‘I’m extremely happy with how Ebz reacted’

“We have really good options because they’re in the right mindset. I’m extremely proud of the chemistry and the desire we have created among the players who both start and finish the game.

“We’ve seen a great example with Ebz, who could have been upset and certainly was when he was substituted after 45 minutes at Forest and then came in and made the impact he did on Wednesday.

“That’s exactly what you need - you have a bench that can be as strong as you want, but they have to give you what you need.

“I’m extremely happy how Ebz reacted to the previous game and the impact he had on the team and the performance he put in. We get the best version of Ebz when he’s laughing, happy and he’s himself.

“It's crucial that we do that. At least we are open to that because the more we connect with our players and we know how they are feeling and you can create that emotional connection between the coaches or whether it's the staff or between players obviously even more ideal.

“I think that's where the best version of yourself comes and then you feel understood and listened to and important and I think that's crucial to get performances.”