The starting XI Arsenal should play against Everton
Recovery is the name of the game for Arsenal at the moment. Wednesday was shambolic from every aspect, and Arsenal will be looking to bounce back tomorrow when Everton travel to the Emirates. Such is the beauty of football, that the next match is right around the corner and with it comes the chance to put things right.
Wednesday’s horror show aside, Arsenal have actually been in good form as of late, climbing into third in the Premier League table. Struggling 12th place Everton visit the Emirates off the back of European success, beating Young Boys 3-1 in the Europa League to round off a 7-1 aggregate win. They will be on a high surely so Arsenal will need to be focused to get the result tomorrow.
Wenger revealed the team news going into the match tomorrow, revealing Arsenal will have the same players from midweek available. Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini are still short, as is Jack Wilshere who underwent minor surgery to remove screws from his ankle. Arteta and Debuchy are still some weeks away from returning, and the boss said he will “certainly” make changes. Changes are definitely needed, and I think we will see two or three changes to the side who that lost to Monaco in midweek. Click down below to see who Wenger should pick for tomorrow’s match.
Not really much he could have done about the goals in midweek (although I thought perhaps he could have done better on the first), and I think he will retain his place in the side. He has looked sharp for the most part, and I don’t think he has done anything to lose his place.
Glad to see Wenger agreed with me on Wednesday by selecting Gibbs over Monreal. I thought he did well enough to retain his place as well. Despite the dreadful showing from the team on a whole, Gibbs actually stuck to his task quite well against the pacey Dirar and wasn’t particularly at fault for any of the goals.
Another player I thought did well compared to the rest of his teammates and can’t be blamed for any of the goals. There is always a place for Koscielny in the side and we need him to lead the team tomorrow if they are to shrug off the demons of midweek.
Mertesacker was dreadful against Monaco and as such I think Gabriel should be given a chance to prove himself. Wenger stopped short of saying Gabriel will playing tomorrow for sure, but I think he will give the Brazilian his chance.
Hector had a bit of a hard time against Martial but stuck to him fairly well I thought. It is not often that Hector runs into someone equal to him in pace so it was a bit of a learning curve for him. Assuming he came through the match unscathed, he will play again tomorrow.
Not his best match in midweek but with Ramsey, Flamini, and Wilshere still out, Wenger finds himself with little to no choice but to stick with Coquelin. Not that that’s a bad thing by any means, as Francis has shown he is the real deal in the centre of the park. A few indifferent showings in a row is not enough to take that way from him.
Aside from his mistake which lead to the third goal, Alex was one of the only shining lights in midweek. Really upped the tempo of Arsenal’s play along with Walcott and took his goal brilliantly. Absolutely skinned Kondogbia with his dummy before curling his effort home. I think he should get the nod over Mesut who played a lot of football lately after returning from injury and looked a but jaded midweek.
We need Santi to lift himself and his teammates up tomorrow and pull the strings like we are used to him doing. He has been exceptional lately and although he wasn’t himself against Monaco, I expect his good form to return sooner rather than later.
Another who looked a bit out of it on Wednesday but won’t make a habit of it. He has never had two poor performances in a row since joining the club and I don’t expect him to start tomorrow. Should return to his influential best to put Everton to the sword.
Walcott showed in midweek why he is so crucial to the side. His pace and movement instantly made Arsenal all the more dangerous. In fact, Arsenal hadn’t mustered a shot on target until his inclusion, and the most clear cut chances of the game (before Chamberlain’s goal) came directly from Walcott’s runs in behind. He also adds width to the side, opening up defenses by stretching their full backs.
Giroud was horrendous against Monaco, and I think Welbeck should be given another chance at centre forward. He has done well on the wings with his pace and strength, but I think he deserves a chance through the middle to show what he can truly do. He is still lacking in goals which was one of the knocks against him when he arrived, and sticking him out wide isn’t helping his case.