Arsenal star just put in his worst display of the season vs Everton
It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but grit and determination have become staples of Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Arsenal side, and victory against Everton on Merseyside underlined that team’s credentials.
The Premier League leaders are seemingly locked in another title battle with Manchester City, who briefly led at the top of the table after beating West Ham United earlier on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s team has Erling Haaland, but the Gunners have the most complete squad in the division. And even with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, who converted from the spot to grab the only goal of the game, leaving something to be desired with his all-round performance, there are plenty of reasons for confidence in north London.
Arsenal are considered the team to beat, even against one of the most illustrious teams in Premier League history.
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Three years in a row Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League, and there is a feeling this must be the year Arteta crowns his glittering reign at the Emirates with a statement trophy.
Another clean sheet for a devastating defense. Quite simply, the Londoners have an impregnable defense, and that makes the difference in their quest for first place.
After successive years of battling at the top of the table, Arsenal know what it means to go through a grueling campaign, but there is no doubt the attackers could do a little more to gain an edge against the Man City machine.
And while Gyokeres has been partly blamed for struggling to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League since arriving from Sporting Lisbon for £64million over the summer, one of his team-mates endured a more grueling evening at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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Aside from Gyokeres’ penalty, Arsenal only accumulated a total xG of 0.98 against Everton, and they will need to produce smoother attacking performances in the future.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the likelihood of a shot resulting in a goal.
Leandro Trossard accounted for a significant portion of that total, having seen his shot from the left side of the area go off the post in the first half following some terrific work from Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the build-up.
The Belgian has been an incredible asset for the Gunners this season, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 19 matches in all competitions. He only started 12 of those games.
It was the 31-year-old’s first Premier League start since that demolition job against Tottenham Hotspur in November, but there is a feeling that Arteta may consider recalling Gabriel Martinelli to the starting line-up after the versatile winger failed to establish himself in the same way as before.
Léandro Trossard v Everton | |
|---|---|
Match statistics | # |
Minutes played | 80′ |
Goals | 0 |
Aids | 0 |
Keys | 58 |
Shots (on target) | 1 (0) |
Precise passes | 37/48 (77%) |
Opportunities created | 0 |
Cross | 0/0 |
Dribbling | 0/1 |
Recoveries | 6 |
Tackles won | 1/1 |
Duels won | 1/3 |
Data via Sofascore | |
Despite this, Trossard was given a rating of 6/10 by football.london, with the publication acknowledging his serious failure but drawing attention to his creativity, emphasizing Gyokeres’ serve through the centre. However, he failed with his only dribble attempt and didn’t give any of his teammates a clear chance.
It is perhaps a measure of Arsenal’s strength after years of hard work in Arteta’s system that Trossard was not outrageously bad, just a slight weak link in an otherwise industrious and well-oiled performance on the road.
The likes of Martinelli are waiting in the wings, and if anything, the ability to cut and change, to change dynamics, gives Arteta the upper hand in his bid to finally get his gloves on the Premier League trophy.
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