Arsenal have now had two opportunities to close the gap to league leaders Liverpool and failed.
A week ago Arne Slot’s side had no fixture due to the adverse weather which meant the Gunners could have narrowed the bridge between the two teams to four points.
Sadly for Mikel Arteta’s men, they ruined that opportunity, drawing 1-1 with an impressive Fulham side at Craven Cottage.
Having then beaten Monaco in the Champions League they welcomed Everton to the Emirates Stadium but once again struggled to create goalscoring opportunities from open play.
In fact, Arsenal were so underwhelming that they only created two big chances during the course of the match.
Believe it or not, there were some positives…
Arsenal’s best players against Everton
It won’t come as a surprise to many to learn that despite drawing 0-0 on Saturday, it was the effervescent Bukayo Saka who stood out the most in red and white.
The England international has taken himself to the next level this season, notably scoring five goals and assisting ten in the league thus far.
Despite not finding a goal involvement against the Toffees he was without a doubt the best player on the pitch and was unfortunate not to find the net.
Perhaps Arsenal’s biggest chance in the second half fell to Saka who hammered a volley towards the front post only for international colleague Jordan Pickford to sprawl to his left-hand side to make a fine save.
Passes
William Saliba – 103
Touches
Gabriel – 118
Key passes
Bukayo Saka – 3
Crosses
Saka – 10
xG
Martin Odegaard – 0.59
Defensive actions
Ashley Young – 14
Blocked shots
James Tarkowski – 3
Interceptions
Young – 3
Tackles
Young – 7
Duels won
Gabriel & Gueye – 9
A constant livewire on the right, it was a shame he didn’t get much help from his colleagues in the final third.
Still, at least assistance was forthcoming from a stern defence with the likes of Gabriel and William Saliba shining at the back. To sum up their influence and Arsenal’s dominance, no two players had more touches on the field than their 118 and 117 respectively.
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That trio aside, not too many covered themselves in glory.
Arsenal’s big underperformers against Everton
One of Arsenal’s biggest underperformers at the Emirates was skipper Martin Odegaard, something that was summed up by his withdrawal in the 62nd minute.
It is unusual for the Norwegian not to create much but that was exactly what happened on Saturday as he left the field with 0 key passes to his name.
Once again, Gabriel Martinelli also faltered on the left-hand side, with his performance against 39-year-old Ashley Young really unconvincing.
The Brazilian won just one of eight duels during the game while Young walked away from north London having completed more tackles (7) than any player on the pitch.
Martinelli’s afternoon wasn’t helped by Mikel Merino, a player who was brought in to improve the club’s dynamics on the left-hand side of the pitch. Sadly, the Spaniard has been inconsistent since signing from Real Sociedad over the summer.
He didn’t offer much at all during his 69 minute outing against Sean Dyche’s side with his performance summed up by the fact that his pass count of 19 was fewer than even goalkeeper David Raya (22) managed.
Minutes played
69
Touches
37
Accurate passes
19/23 (83%)
Key passes
2
Accurate crosses
1/3
Accurate long balls
0/1
Shots
1
Successful dribbles
1/1
Ground duels won
2/3
Aerial duels won
2/3
Tackles
1
Interceptions
0
Truth be told, Merino offered so little in possession that it was alarming with just two key passes and a single shot. He also lost the ball nine times in a game where he looked restricted in his ability to evade the press and keep the team ticking over. It was hardly a surprise, therefore, to see him earn a rather average 6/10 match rating from Football.London come full-time.
A look at his heat map also tells you that he needed to do more. The Spain international wasn’t required much inside his own half but also didn’t show a great deal on the edge of his own area, failing to offer the much-desired qualities Arsenal have been after since Granit Xhaka’s departure.
As a result, it would not be a surprise if Arteta dropped his summer signing back to the bench for their clash with Crystal Palace next week.
While on paper a trio of Declan Rice, Merino and Odegaard should work, a more tried and tested configuration that involves Jorginho or Thomas Partey might be wiser.
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