MATCH DAY BLOG - EVERTON (H)

MLS RETAINS HIS PLACE IN STARTING 11

Arsenal have just dropped their team news ahead of a MONSTER game at The Emirates this afternoon.

The good news? Bill Saliba and Big Gabs are centre backing against the rough housers of Merseyside. MLS keeps his place after a supreme outing in midweek against Monaco. Martinelli also holds his place again.

We have another chance to see the midfield of Merino, Odegaard, and Rice. This kind of feels like the sort of game they should thrive in. Everton are going to be going long this afternoon, they’ll be aggressively closing us down in the middle, it will be a battle from minute one. Merino comes in when there’s a fight to be had. I also feel a little bit safer with Declan at the back in games like this because his legs stretch a little further.

Our forward line is as expected. Kai is there to use his height and hustle power to harass their backline, with the pace of Martinelli and Saka designed to get at their less than world-class full-backs. Is it a little bit harsh on Jesus to be sat down after we saw the glimmers of a performance in the week?

NO.

No goals, no start. Gabi Jesus was signed to deliver numbers and he hasn’t done that. We can’t keep lowering our standards here. When he comes on and bangs a hatty, like he would when he was a City player, then we can start investing in his campaign for a more perm role in the starting 11.

Everton has a lot of injury problems. No Dwight McNeil, no Keane, and DCL has 2 goals in 12 games this season. They are rolling with a 39-year-old as a fullback this afternoon, which should have Arsenal licking their lips and maybe indicate that this deep block is going to be so, so dirty it’ll bring tears to your eyes.

The main storyline here is that we’ll be the only team in the league to play a side that has had a midseason break in December. They’ve had over a week to plan a monster class against us. Bumps and bruises will have healed. Players will be fired up. They will be fresher. But will that count against a team that is in really good form?

We’re about to find out. Home crowd will be really important today. This is one of those games that you’d have to label ‘GRIND.’ No one wants to be there, it’ll be horrible, the outcome has to be three points in a league race that is slipping away from us.

Let’s see what the boys have got for us.

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