Two visits, two defeats — Mikel Arteta may grow to dislike England’s north west. Arsenal have only lost two Premier League games this term and both have come in this part of the country.
Firstly, a trip to Manchester United in September proved a testing moment for Arteta’s burgeoning team. And now, an afternoon at Everton brought another fallow game after which Arsenal suddenly looked slightly weaker at the top of the table.
The good news for Arteta is that Arsenal are still yet to travel to Anfield where surely points will be available, given Liverpool’s recent downturn and impending crisis. But, unfortunately, a journey to Manchester City is also to come, and that could be a time when Arsenal’s hope of a first league title since 2003/04 evaporates into the air.
Arsenal have looked unstoppable at times this season, and none more so than when they have entertained guests at the Emirates and gorged on the points available to them. Arteta’s team have been the in-form side of the division with a nice blend of defensive rigour and attacking flourish to make them credible title contenders.
But on a grey afternoon at Goodison Park, they suddenly looked rather ordinary. Do not be mistaken, even the best of teams can have an off day and look under the weather, but Arsenal were subdued and sub-par as Everton secured their first league win since October and gave Sean Dyche lift off in his first game in charge.
Arsenal had their spells of control but struggled against an obdurate Everton side that had clearly already benefitted from a few days on the training pitch with the new manager. Everton’s goal came via a set-piece and the old Burnley combination of Dwight McNeil and James Tarkowski — quite apt for the former Turf Moor man’s first day in the job.
However, away from that winning moment, the main takeaway from the game was how the home team’s midfield restricted Arsenal and prevented the league leaders from playing in their usual style. Both McNeil and Alex Iwobi, Everton’s widemen in a 4-3-3, dropped deep when out of possession so full-backs Seamus Coleman and Vitalii Mykolenko had support when dealing with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Alas, the relentless energy of Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye was perhaps the most significant factor in the victory. Worryingly for Arteta, it might even provide a blueprint for other opponents as they look to stop Arsenal in the coming weeks and months.
Commanding and energetic midfield key to success
Like United earlier in the season, Everton showed that having legs in midfield is key if you are to succeed against Arteta’s team. Everton’s trio were strong and fast enough to cover the ground, and technically brave enough to keep the ball once they had won it back. Throughout the entire game, Gueye did not misplace a single pass.
Arsenal do their most dangerous work in certain areas of the pitch. For instance, Martin Odegaard thrives in the pockets of space between the opposition’s midfield and defence. Everton’s midfield were mobile and energetic enough to constantly close down these spaces, shuttling across as one and denying Odegaard the space he craves.
The Arsenal captain, one of the division’s top performers this term, was visibly frustrated in the second half and that no doubt encouraged the hosts to continue in their ways.
No Everton player had more touches than Onana. No player won possession more times than Gueye. No player made more interceptions than Doucoure. Between them, they squeezed the space and covered the pitch.
Arsenal’s slick passing game did come undone when Newcastle United came to the Emirates last month. Then, Eddie Howe’s side claimed a point and also had a set of commanding and energetic players in centre-field. Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff did the legwork that evening and, again, Arsenal struggled to find their usual passing rhythm.
Clogging the midfield is, of course, easier said than done. But it certainly seems worth the effort for Arsenal’s opponents, especially when compared to the alternative. Tottenham Hotspur allowed themselves to be outnumbered in central areas in the north London derby three weeks ago. They were picked apart with ruthless ease by Odegaard and his team-mates.
Clearly, Arsenal’s Plan A is working well and has bore fruit already this season. But there is room for improvement. Sharper running and more incisive passing is required to unpick such busy opposition midfields. Jorginho, perhaps, may help in that regard after coming on for his debut following a switch from Chelsea last week.
Arteta will not get carried away by a second league defeat of the season and said after the game that he is confident this hiccup on Merseyside will not derail them and backed his players to bounce back at home to Brentford next weekend.
“The best way to do it is understand who we are, how we got where we are and start to do the basic things right, start to play the way we want to play,” he said. “Then start to do it better individually and collectively and then you will earn the right to win games.”