A few comments on the Arsenal performance vs Everton… #AFC #EFC 👇🏽
- Dyche beefed up his midfield by playing three physically strong ball winners in Gueye, Onana and Doucoure. Those three matched up against Xhaka, Partey and Ødegaard was no contest on winning second balls
- Dyche beefed up his midfield by playing three physically strong ball winners in Gueye, Onana and Doucoure. Those three matched up against Xhaka, Partey and Ødegaard was no contest on winning second balls
- Dyche instructed Pickford to exclusively hit long balls from goal kicks, which completely removed Arsenal’s ability to press from the front and allowed those three ball-winners get second balls to control midfield
- Dyche also asked Iwobi and McNeil to tuck inside in the low block to double up against Saka and Martinelli, much like City did vs Arsenal in the FA Cup. This neutralised the two main threats on the wing and significantly reduced any goal scoring opportunities
- Poor individual performances from players like Ødegaard, Martinelli and Ben White meant the level of the whole team dropped and small margins led to Everton advances across defence, midfield and upfront
- Arsenal needed to shoot more from the wings to get corners, where they excel and there was a credible threat to attack goal. The first half only had 1 or 2 corners. Missed opportunity.
- Arsenal also needed to use the width to do more overlaps which they did more in the second half, Martinelli often missed out on getting the ball to Xhaka during his overlapping runs and Ben White only did so a few times.
- The Partey substitution was crucial in perpetuating the lack of control in midfield, Jorginho lacks physicality and height and would have been better to sub on if game state was in Arsenal’s favour but Partey was unfit. Caicedo type players would have been optimal here
- Contextually, with the new manager and the fire in the belly of these Everton players to prove to their fans they’re here to perform, the animosity at Goodison meant Arsenal got frustrated the longer the game went on
- This can now be a formula to antagonise Arsenal moving forward, teams like Brentford, Newcastle and Everton (especially playing at home) can get at Arsenal physically if they stay organised and focused.
I don’t usually do threads or tweets on football or Arsenal (mainly replies) but just thought I’d try something new! 🫡
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