Arsenal vs. Everton: Tactical Preview of Premier League Game
Arsenal host Everton on Sunday in one of this weekend's biggest, most enticing fixtures. Both sides fared rather differently midweek in their respective European competitions; will the momentum of the Toffees' win produce an upset at the Emirates Stadium?
Arsenal News
Arsene Wenger has some decisions to make after a poor performance against Monaco.
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Wojciech Szczesny will be pushing for a return after a shaky performance from David Ospina in goal, Per Mertesacker is under threat from Gabriel Paulista and Olivier Giroud's showing up front will need to be looked at.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returned off the bench during midweek and will push for a start along with Theo Walcott, but Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck's performances stand the least of Wenger's concerns.
Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby and Aaron Ramsey are all out.
Everton News
Leighton Baines should return to Roberto Martinez's XI and improve the left side, though Luke Garbutt performed well against Young Boys on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League.
Gareth Barry is fit enough to return, per WhoScored.com, but Bryan Oviedo, Steven Pienaar and Christian Atsu could miss out—familiar injuries in familiar positions.
Romelu Lukaku is on fire at the moment after spending four months in a real funk, so Martinez would be wise to use him up front in a central position and place players around him who can create.
Key Point 1: Which Arsenal Get to Play?
Arsene Wenger made a bad mistake midweek against Monaco, playing a loose 4-4-1-1 with no nominated anchor midfielder. Les Monegasques played on the counter-attack and ripped them to shreds in transitions, largely thanks to Geoffrey Kondogbia's powerful, monstrous performance.
It should dictate a move back to the 4-3-3 that's been doing so well, with Francis Coquelin sat in front of the defensive line. If that's the reactive, transition-based 4-3-3, Gunners fans will rejoice; if Everton make them play, though, and open out, they'll be ripe for countering once again.
This Arsenal side have endured something of an enforced identity switch in recent months, and it's become clear they're more suited to playing without the ball then utilising their pace up front than relying on cracking the lock.
If the pattern falls the wrong way, Hector Bellerin must be more disciplined and the defensive line must be quicker to fill gaps and prevent attacks. Lukaku could bully on the run.
Key Point 2: Darron Gibson...?
It will be interesting to see if Darron Gibson starts on Sunday; his excellent performance in the UEFA Europa League against Young Boys should have forced Roberto Martinez to consider him for the trip to Arsenal.
He may not be the sexiest name in the sport, but many have been numbed to his ability due to his long lay-off after tearing an ACL. Where Everton's midfield have lacked spark in recent weeks, the Irishman can undoubtedly provide.
The Toffees have been flat in an area where Martinez teams rarely are, and for Romelu Lukaku to continue his resurgence in form, he needs service and players willing to play the balls he wants.
The Belgian has looked boisterous of late, pushing up against the centre-backs and aggressively running the channels. He looks confident again, and a scything ball-player in midfield is just what they need.
If not Gibson, then his through-ball ability must be replicated by someone else.
