It’s a trip to Merseyside today for the early start against Everton.
We haven’t won there since 2017, when the forward three of Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sánchez scored and Ronald Koeman was sacked the next day. Since then it has been a difficult journey for us and today we face what will be a new version of this Everton side, but one that should also be quite familiar.
This will be Sean Dyche’s first game in charge since taking over from Frank Lampard and based on the staff and previous experience of his Burnley teams, we will be up against an Everton who will be fired up, ready to fight and better organized. than they were under the previous manager. They have some big guys at the back, some guys up front that they will run and chase, and if they play a bit like Newcastle did when we played them a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Whether they can do it just as effectively is another question.
In terms of team news from our perspective, there are some questions about Thomas Partey. Mikel Arteta admitted it in his press conference, after the midfielder left in the FA Cup tie against Man City. It’s fair to say that he left things hanging a bit as far as his possible involvement today, saying:
Let’s see, that’s still a question. Let’s see how he arrives today and if he is capable of training with the team or not. We will make a decision on it.
It’s not ruled out and it’s nothing very significant but it was significant enough to get it out of the picture. [Manchester City] game, which for Thomas is unusual. I hope it’s okay.
As Lewis pointed out in the preview podcast on Patreon, Man City’s next game could influence today’s selection. Going into that game without Partey would be a real blow, so if there’s a risk, you might as well choose a different option. In Jorginho he has a player he says he’s wanted for a long time, and it’s not as if playing at Goodison Park is a new experience for the Italy international: he should be able to get in without any real problems. Ideally though, this is Arteta giving nothing away and Partey doing fine.
Beyond that, for this game anyway, it’s hard to foresee any other changes. You don’t bench Gabriel Martinelli after boosting his confidence with a new contract, but you know if it doesn’t work out for him, you have Leandro Trossard on the bench. I think the manager will ask his team to keep doing what they’ve been doing all season and even though Everton have the makings with a new manager, an early start and everything else, if we play close to what best we have we have what it takes to take the three points.
It’s also another game where we have something to correct from last season. That late Demarai Gray goal was a real kicker in a tough night, especially since just minutes before that goal, Eddie Nketiah had a chance to make it 2-1. He left Arteta fuming as we saw in the Amazon document, and this is a result he and the team will be looking to correct. Not to mention, he’s a different Nketiah now, too. Then he had a few minutes here and there off the bench to make an impact. Now regular playing time has seen him develop and improve. I’m sure he’ll be willing to leave his mark to make up for last season.
Today, given the kick-off time, is also our chance to put some pressure on those behind us, especially City. It seems like most of this season they have played before us (this could be wrong, by the way), allowing them to close the gap, which means we have to respond. Three points against Everton would extend our lead at the top to 8 points, which would be a good place to be ahead of City going to White Hart Lane tomorrow and absolutely destroying the Sp*rs.
So let’s hope this is another, like the game against Liverpool, like away from Brentford, like away from Palace, like away from the derby, where this team breaks down obstacles from the past and continues their momentum.
As always, we’ll have live blog coverage for you and all post-game material on Arseblog News. I’ll catch you in a bit.
Come on reds!
