Preview: Everton V Arsenal

Kieran Tierney

Preview: Everton V Arsenal

By Jack Lacey-Hatton

Arsenal make another trip to Merseyside on Monday night but this time it's to take on Rafa Benitez’s Everton.

After the disappointing 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last time out, it represents a chance to regain both confidence and points, ahead of a busy festive schedule.

The natives are restless at Goodison Park after a string of bad results, and the Gunners have a real chance to add more pressure on Benitez, in a potentially hostile atmosphere for the home team.

That’s not to say it will be an easy task. Arsenal have had many difficult days on the same ground in recent years, and the Toffees did show earlier on this season they are more than capable of producing a top performance on their day.

After losing a lead at Old Trafford in midweek, Mikel Arteta and his players will be desperate to respond with a win as they go back on the road to the north-west.

They need to win to keep pace with the top four, particularly after West Ham stunned Chelsea in the Saturday lunchtime game earlier in the weekend.

The hosts haven’t won in eight Premier League games but Benitez and his team will be hurting after a 4-1 defeat against Liverpool on Wednesday evening. They also have the advantage of not having travelled in the last week.

Without overplaying the significance of one game too many, it could be argued the trajectory of Arsenal’s season rests on games like Everton away.

Arteta knows that a third straight away loss would have his side back alongside Manchester United and Tottenham, two sides both who have changed their manager after what was considered to be a disappointing start to the season.

On the other hand, a win would be a real statement of intent that a Champions League top-four finish is firmly in their sights.

 

Team News

Arsenal will still be without Granit Xhaka who is out with a knee problem at least for another few weeks.

Sead Kolasinac is another longer-term issue with his ankle, and no date has been set yet for his return.

Aaron Ramsdale will once again take his place his between the posts but Bernd Leno is a doubt for the bench 
with a groin injury, meaning Karl Hein could be named substitute keeper for the trip to Goodison.

The five-day gap between games should give enough time for those who started at Old Trafford to recover.

But Arteta may be keen to bring Bukayo Saka back into his starting line-up, with Nicolas Pepe also pushing to return after remaining an unused substitute at Old Trafford.

Gabriel Martinelli is the most likely to drop out from the team that played on Thursday.

At left-back the recent good form of Nuno Tavares could mean he once again keeps Scotland’s Kieran Tierney out of the XI.

For Everton, their No.9 striker and supposed Arsenal transfer target Dominic Calvert-Lewin will, maybe conveniently, miss the game with a thigh problem.
 

Recent record v Everton

Everton haven’t been particularly good opponents for the Gunners over the last few seasons.

In fact since 2019 Arsenal have only won one in five league matches against the Toffees, a run which included losing both games last season.

Their last win at Goodison Park came in 2017, when Arsene Wenger’s team ran riot in a 5-2 success, a game that pushed Everton manager Ronald Koeman closer to the trapdoor.

In the three visits to the blue half of Merseyside since that day, Arsenal have only scored once, something Arteta will be desperate to change on Monday night.

Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more