Arsenal welcome Everton to The Emirates this evening seeking to extend their lead at the top of the table to 10 points, with Manchester City travelling to West Ham a little later on in what feels like another enormous game in this season’s title race. Against Brighton I wasn’t even thinking about the Manchester City game against Nottingham Forest, I knew how huge it was for us to just get the three points and that’s all I was focused on. This was until I realised they were still drawing into stoppage time to be fair when things changed somewhat!!! After having such a commanding lead a in early January, we managed to cut it down significantly with damaging results against the likes of Wolves, Forest, Liverpool etc. and it felt like our only option from this point onwards was to just focus on our own results. Seeing your rivals pick up points after you’ve dropped some is a truly painful experience and despite our lead now increasing again to 7 points (4 without the game in hand) I’m still of the same mindset – let’s take care of our own business and worry about City later.
Turning to the game itself, this is going to be really tough as Everton’s away form is very impressive and any David Moyes team is usually difficult to break down at the best of times, so with our current lack of fluidity up top and the general state of the league, we’ve got a real challenge on our hands. Despite Manchester City playing away from home, I’d say we’ve got the tougher game of the two title challengers, which makes it even more important to just focus on ourselves and get the job done.
Areas of encouragement
Our home form has been good this season with only the two draws and a defeat blotting our otherwise perfect copy book, and those games were against City, Liverpool and United, so we usually find a way to get the job done. We dropped points in this game last season so hopefully our improved home form this time round can see us pick up the points.
Areas of concern
Same as the last time out – I’m concerned about the attack. I think all Gooners are. It just isn’t clicking at all, to the point where even our most trusted Deputy, Bukayo Saka, has taken a dip in form. They just aren’t gelling at all and are finding it difficult to sustain attacks and create chances. Hopefully the returning Kai Havertz can at least start to turn us into the right direction.
What I’d love to see
Energy and dynamism. I’d love to see some real thrust from our midfield and attack and really get at Everton early doors and push them back.
What I’d hate to see
With the attack struggling, we can’t let anything in at the back. We must keep a clean sheet as giving Everton something to hold onto could prove fatal.
Lineup and Team News
Mikel Arteta was cryptic as usual, but it looks like Martin Odegaard is going to miss this one again although I do think that Leandro Trossard should be fit, so that will just leave Mikel Merino and Odegaard as our only absentees.
As usual, most of the team picks itself, with Mikel leaning into familiarity in recent weeks, so the back five should remain unchanged. The one position that you would say is up for grabs would be the left back spot, which is more down to Riccardo Calafiori’s attacking ability than anything Piero Hincapie has done wrong however, I think Arteta will stick with the Ecudorian once again, which is probably fair.
Into midfield, I would absolutely love to see Martin Zubimendi given another rest. He really doesn’t look right. How that could work, I’m not really sure. Maybe he could just bring in Christian Norgaard or bring back Declan Rice and play a more attacking player in the left 8 position, to give us more options going forward. Alas, I think Zubimendi will start once again, alongside Declan Rice, so hopefully we see a return of the early season Martin Zubimendi tonight, as he’s been AWOL of late.
The number 10 position is an interesting one as I think Kai Havertz will come into the side in some form, so he could take up this spot with Eberechi Eze either playing on the left or dropping to the bench. With Noni Madueke looking like our best attacker right now, I could even see Bukayo Saka moving infield to accommodate Madueke, so there is quite a few options here. I really think Arteta should mix it up, as it has gone stale a bit and we need to keep Everton guessing. If I was picking the team, I would do a madness and play Max Dowman. I really would. I think the lift that would give The Emirates would be absolutely enormous and he is capable of individual brilliance and we have certainly been lacking that of late, so I’d love to see something like that.
It probably wouldn’t be fair to Dowman though in all honesty, asking a 16 year old to help us win one of the biggest games of the season, but from what I’ve seen of Dowman so far this season, I really don’t think it would bother him one bit!! That would be massively out of character for Mikel Arteta so I think Dowman will have to settle for a place on the bench.
In terms of what Mikel Arteta will do in the 10, I think he sticks with Eze again and Havertz up front, with Viktor Gyokeres dropping to the bench. This really doesn’t feel like Gyokeres’ sort of game as Everton will likely play three at the back so he should take up the role of impact sub for this one, when hopefully the Everton players are tiring.
Leandro Trossard should return to the team if he is fit, as Gabriel Martinelli’s form has been patchy at best in the Belgian’s absence, so that just leaves the right wing position to sort. Noni Madueke is really pushing for a starting spot right now, he really is. It was a real watershed moment to see Saka withdrawn with only an hour played against Bayer Leverkusen in the week and I think it was actually refreshing to see the boss be so ruthless, even with his star man and Captain. That said, I think dropping him entirely would be a step further and one I can’t see the boss making, so I thin Saka will be given another chance on the right hand side – let’s hope his withdrawal against Leverkusen sparks something inside our star boy and we see the real Bukayo Saka from this point onwards.
On the bench, someone will have to make space for Max Dowman, as we have plenty of defenders and not many gamechangers so I think the reportedly frustrated Myles Lewis-Skelly will be given more reason to be disgruntled as he drops out of the party to make way for Dowman. Sorry, Myles, the team comes first and we need options in attack from the bench. His time will come.
Predicted lineup:
Raya
Timber
Saliba
Gabriel
Hincapie
Zubimendi
Rice
Eze
Saka
Havertz
Trossard
Substitutes:
Arrizabalaga
White
Mosquera
Calafiori
Norgaard
Gyokeres
Martinelli
Jesus
Dowman
PREDICTION
I think they’ll make us suffer once again, but as long as we get over the line, I can deal with that. I’m going for the old favourite – 1-0 to The Arsenal.