Some things never change; the packed winter schedule and Arsene Wenger’s long coat, for example, But other things do.
A November without a loss, and a tactic where Arsenal seem to be playing great football without compromising the defence, 12 goals in the last three games highlight this.
Formation
Both Everton and Arsenal will line up in a fairly standard 4-2-3-1, but the player roles are different. Everton tend to prioritise the flank overload; Leighton Baines and a winger on one side, Seamus Coleman and another winger on the other, they aim to get a lot of 2 vs 1 situations out wide.
Meanwhile, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Gareth Barry in the middle don’t particularly act as playmakers but ball winning midfielders, who look to hold down the fort when the front six (including the fullbacks) fly forward.
These both, of course, differ to Arsenal’s policy of sending up one fullback at a time, and one of the double pivot joining the attack. To combat the flank play, it’s imperative that Theo Walcott and the left winger track back.
Lineups
Both teams are likely to rotate, but the key matchups are as follows:
Barry/Gueye vs Ozil
The tough double pivot are likely to kick lumps out of Meust Ozil to stop him, but the German has proven he can glide round the pitch to great effect.
Lukaku vs Gabriel
With Shkodran Mustafi out, the occasionally shaky Gabriel comes in, and he will need to be at his best to deal with the Belgian powerhouse.
Alexis vs Williams
Ashley Williams is a hulk of a defender, and while those around him aren’t great, he can he single handedly shut down attackers. Alexis must not get drawn into a physical battle with him, but keep dropping deep to drag him out of position.
