Gabriel could return as Arsenal face leaky Everton..

Morning all.

Thomas Tuchel, speaking after the World Cup qualifying draw in Zurich yesterday that all England players will begin his tenure with a clean slate. As far Ben White goes, the German reportedly said:

Yes I will reach out to him. It should be a clean start and a clear narrative. It starts from January.

Whether or not Ben White says yes to England remains to be seen but I imagine he will.

It’s been a good week for Arsenal FC in the Champions League. First, the men beat Monaco 3-0 before the women defeated Valerenga 3-1 in Oslo. The women are already through to the next round but if they can beat Bayern Munich in their final fixture, they’ll finish top of their group. The men however, have two more fixtures to play with automatic qualification for the knockout stages still not 100% secured. In late January, Arsenal take on Dinamo Zagreb at The Emirates and Girona in Catalonia.

Domestic football is the focus now for Mikel Arteta and his players with Everton at The Emirates their next challenge. Sean Dyche’s players have enjoyed a bit of a break after their match last weekend against Liverpool was postponed due to bad weather. Mind you, sometimes a break isn’t a good thing.

We’ve had a number of cracking results against Everton over the years but the two which stick in my mind are the 1997/98 and 2004/05. The 4-0 victory in May of 1998 saw us crowned Premier League winners for the first time under Arsene Wenger and of course, the Tony Adams moment made it extra special. Not quite an “it’s up for grabs now moment” but even Sky Sports Martin Tyler couldn’t hide his excitement with his “would you believe it’ commentary.

May 2005 I remember for very different reasons. I might have mentioned this before but I was holidaying in St Lucia and couldn’t watch the match. It was getting late when I called my family back home to find out the result and my mother said Arsenal had won 7-0. I asked her who scored, her reply was simple, “everyone”. A happy memory which will stay with me for the rest of my days.

Anyway, much has changed since those days, in fact much changed at Arsenal following that season too as the invincible squad began to breakup.

Last season, we battered Sean Dyche’s side 4-0 in March. Gabriel Martinelli scored twice with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard making it four. We went five points clear at the top after the game but it all went wrong after that. Just as it could this season for Liverpool and Chelsea and already has for Man City. Nothing in football, or sport in general, is ever guaranteed until a game/season is over.

Forget what’s around the corner, just focus on the present. That’s all Arsenal can do, oh, and hope the above mentioned clubs go through a really bad run of results.

During his pre match press conference yesterday, Mikel Arteta was asked whether Gabriel or Riccardo Calafiori could be fit to face Everton.

There is a possibility one of them to be available. He trained today and we will see tomorrow.

Well, if he was trying to keep us guessing, he blew it the very next minute when he was asked about having to be cautious with Calafiori as he hasn’t had a run of games:

We’re just respecting the times that the medical department has set and then we’ll just monitor his evolution every single day. We understand that he’s not fully ready yet but he’s getting very close now.

Mikel Arteta waffled on about other stuff but in all honesty, I’ve heard it all before. He likes to give nothing away which I totally understand pre match.

Everton have had a strange December as far as their two results go. A 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester Utd before they did the same to Wolves at Goodison Park nine days ago. Two own goals plus a goal apiece for Young and Mangala did the damage to the club sitting second from the bottom of the league table.

We’re on a decent run having not lost a game since 2nd November. A draw at Chelsea and Fulham and three wins. Mikel Arteta’s players need to extend that good run this afternoon with a victory. A draw at home against Wolves would not be a good result, a loss would be disastrous if we’re to have any hope of catching Liverpool.

Adrian Clarke writing in the official matchday programme:

Everton line up in a 4-2-3-1 for every match, but without the ball they morph into a compact 5-4-1. This will be frequent as they only average 40% of possession, the second-lowest total in the division, so breaking down their stubborn resistance by finding space in crowded areas will be key.

The Toffees, and Jordan Pickford in particular, hit the ball long towards Dominic Calvert-Lewin who is a terrific outlet, winning more aerial duels than any other top-flight striker. He has helped Everton complete 26.8 long balls each game – the highest number of successful long passes, while no Premier League side is more accurate with their crosses in open play (27%).

Everton are abrasive and aggressive in their duels. Wide forwards Dwight McNeil and Iliman N’Diaye set the tone, working hard to press opponents, while at the back James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite are dominant figures who love to repel crosses. They are a superb set-piece outfit, and all four of their goals against Wolves came from dead-ball situations.

In open play though, Everton are not as creative as they would like, scoring just six times. Their defending has also been fragile and they can crumble, shipping four goals against Tottenham and Manchester United, and three apiece in matches against Brighton, Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

I didn’t expect to read anything different about a Sean Dyche team. Hard working, quite defensive and not overly creative. Whilst they have two strong central defenders, they concede goals aplenty. I hope Mikel Arteta’s players start the game fast. Get at the fragile defence, force them to crumble and then be ruthless in front of goal. I’m not overly keen on Everton, never have been regardless of who in Arsenal’s history has played for them. So yes, even though I won’t have to phone home to get the result, I hope the answer would be something very similar to 2005 if I had to.

Catch up in the comments.