For some bizarre reason our trips to Goodison Park have been a tough toffee to swallow in recent years. The last three visits there all ended in a loss, and yet historically we have such a good record against them in the PL. I don’t like playing an away game straight after an interlull: players return on different days, possible injuries need to be assessed, and rather than settle back in at the home of football the team has to travel somewhere straightaway.
But Citeh and Pool had to do it and they won their games today, and Arsenal have to do the same on Sunday. Everton have made a poor start and are in a dire situation all together, but they will want to bounce back and what do they really have to lose playing us? They know Arsenal have struggled there recently, and it will give the home team a bit of much needed confidence, no doubt.
So we all know that the boys need to show a ruthless streak and stay focused for 90+ minutes. This is a must win game for more than one reason. Will we have the backbone for this? I think we do, and the team have shown already that they know how to grind out a result and fight for every ball. Yet, we are without warrior Partey and others will have to step up. The good news is that Jesus is properly back and he will be much needed to crack the Toffees’ deep-lying defence and give us that extra dimension in attack.
Further good news is that Elneny is back in training after a long injury. Will he play a few minutes tomorrow?
I am glad we have Eddie in the team but with Jesus we really have more zip to our play; we become more unpredictable and the likes of Odegaard and Havertz will likely benefit from this. Martinelli seems to play much better when Gabby is on the pitch too. Everton will likely play us on the counter and hope for goals from set-pieces. We know what to expect and only a fully professional performance will see take three points down the M6 and M1.
Line-up:
Ramsdale
White-Tequila-Big Gab-Zinch
–Declan the Manc Killer—
–The Ode—Havertz—
Buka—-Jesus—-Martinelli
Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!
By TotalArsenal.
Bergkampesque 
I like the look of that starting XI Meneer Van Der Total
I would play Elneny at 6 and partner Rice as double 8 with Le Captain Bring in Trossad to rest Saka and have Martinelli and. Gabby Jesus at their usual places…the backline remains fav 4.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/sep/16/not-in-my-name-are-we-so-blinded-by-tribalism-that-we-cant-see-the-real-issues
A sobering read with some beautiful lines,
“Sport in its essential triviality is a chance to let fly the better angels of our nature. But too often they remain trapped by greed, by self-interest and by tribalism”
“A toffee too hard to swallow” is not a bad line either, Total. Good post and the link is, as you describe it both sobering and beautiful. Tho’ I find two words in it which always strike me as misnomers. Homophobia and racism. With the first I consider it possible to disagree with something while not being afraid of it. With the second, there is only one race, that is the human race. Ethnic prejudice are far better words to describe the malady afflicting mankind.
Our New Zealand Warriors defeated the Aussie team, the Newcastle Knights last night with a thrilling display of tactical discipline. They now face the daunting but exciting prospect of meeting the Brisbane Bronco’s in the NRL semi final. Tactics figure hugely in both Rugby and Rugby League.
I have seen a shift in the tactics employed by Mikel this season. Not quite so gung ho, more pragmatic. Not quite so exciting, but more interesting. Jonas Eidervall’s confession during the past week after seeing the Arsenal Women defeated was that “he was tactically surprised”, spoke to me of a humility and a willingness to learn and grow. Mikel and the team are learning on the job, they are pioneering a form of the game which we may have never seen before. The great Rinus Michels and the greater J.C. set the tone. Pep picked up the mantle. De Zerbi is doing it at Brighton.
Arsenal have a history of tactical innovation; Herbert Chapman with the W formation, George Graham with the famed back four and their mastery of the offside trap, Arsene with subtleties which we are still, only with hindsight discovering today.
We are in the midst of something magical, something we may only fully appreciate some years hence. I’m savouring the journey.
I keep on hearing about this problem that Arsenal have had at Goodison Park recently and let’s be frank, we as a club seem to save some of our most underwhelming performances for that part of Liverpool. It’s been a bit of a psychological issue, but not a phobia, a glitch, maybe mentally taking our foot off of the accelerator as it’s ‘only’ Everton at Goodison Park and all the big teams beat Everton – except it seems us!
It’s been annoying reading all the media guff about how poorly Arsenal have performed at the home of the Everton mints, it’s a problem that Arteta has at his old club I hear them say, or it’s proof that Arsenal lack that special something to get over the line, or some old nonsense like that. We used to hear the same about Brentford (a) and Palace (a) for example but not anymore.
Tottenham are being lorded after an unbeaten start to the season as all the closet Spuds show themselves, but who cares, we’ll fix that next weekend.
As for now it’ss all about going to a poor Everton, a club in turmoil and doing a job on them, so let’s not countenance anymore bullshit about Goodison just go there and stick 4 goals in their net and put an end to this gormless narrative about Arteta at Goodison. I mean, if we’re serious about competing then we really have to put them away.
Stu,
Love is love, just as much as race is race. I have no time for both homophobia or racism.
Yes Stu, we are watching something special at Ashburton Grove. Let’s hope we can pick the fruits of it today.
I will be surprised if your predicted lineup is incorrect. However, Fabio, Reiss and Leandro must be wondering when they will next get to start a PL game.
All agreed, Kev. Time to do the business today. 🙂
ARSENAL
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Vieira, Odegaard; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Jorginho, Havertz, Trossard, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Jesus.
EVERTON
Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Onana, Doucoure, Gueye, Danjuma, Beto, McNeil.
Subs: Virginia, Patterson, Keane, Godfrey, Garner, Dobbin, Onyango, Chermiti, Calvert-Lewin.
Arsenal XI: Raya, Gabriel, White, Saliba, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Rice, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli, Vieira.
Subs: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Jesus, Smith Rowe, Kiwior, Jorginho, Havertz, Nelson, Trossard.
A couple of surprises there!
Arteta has surprised us by starting David Raya; well, not so surprising since we have CL football on Wednesday. It also tells me Arteta wants to play Ramsdale on Wednesday night. I hope he manages this “two No. 1s in one team” thing well, Arteta. It is novel.
I thought Havertz would be better suited for the expected physicality at Goodison park. Vieira has made some great cameo appearances and, ordinarily, has earned his place. However, it is a huge shout and I hope Arteta’s faith in the lad doesn’t backfire.
Well, time to break the hoodoo!
COYG!!!
Nketiah looked offside when that was played forward but looks like he is cleared. 0-1, Martinelli.
He is offside. No goal. These lines are just so confusing.
Martinelli looks like he was getting some treatment. I hope it isn’t too serious. Patience, now.
Messy footie, ball not rolling enough for us. But we will be better in second half as Everton will get tired.
After AFC Bournemouth and Chelsea played out the first 0-0 draw this season, this first half does give an ominous vibe that we may have another here,….unless.
It has been drab and the injury to Martinelli hasn’t helped much as Trossard is finding it hard to re-ignite his early promise, having not seen game time for a while (one of the disadvantages of not allowing proper rotation in the team.
I expect Everton to come out a bit more in the second half, buoyed by the knowledge we would be nervous, recent record on that ground and all that noise. If they do come out, we have got to take advantage to get the goals we need and deserve.
Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!!
Never doubt the Tross. 🙂
We are playing this game with a bit of midweek in mind, it would seem. I thought we should go on and press the advantage after that beauty by Trossard, off a training ground corner kick routine.
But, a win is a win and we chalk up another 3 points and broken the trend of winless runs at Everton.
New Post 🙂
You may have misunderstood me, Total. Language is important for constructing views and society as a whole. I love the English language too much to see it misused for philosophical reasons, whether or not those philosophies be sound or spurious.
Yes, Eris, we may not have got the four Kev hoped for, but we can be happy to see that see that six year hoodoo broken.
Bleak stubbornness was overcome with patient silky cohesiveness. Leandro’s goal was a thing of Belgian beauty, a brush stroke of Rene Magritte, a tennis stroke of Kim Clijsters, a stroke of genius all of his own. Reminded me of an Eduardo goal v Burnley a few years back.
Let’s look forward to Totals PSV preview and then to pricking the fragile bubble that is Tottenham.
He’s on the left, he’s on right Leandro Trossard is dynamite He’s on the left, he’s on the right or down the middle Your kryptonite! He’ll pass the ball, he’ll score a goal He came from Brighton, to Arsenal! He loves the reds, he hates the whites Leandro Trossard is dynamite! Na na na na na na na na na na etc Leandro Trossards dynamite!