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The Premier League’s early kick-off this week offered us an intriguing matchup between two struggling teams, Everton and Arsenal. Both teams came into this game with new managerial appointments to look forward to. An hour before kick-off, Everton announced that Carlo Ancelotti had signed a multi-year contract to take over at Goodison Park. As for the Gunners, they announced the appointment of their new head coach Mikel Arteta with a press conference on Friday afternoon.
The buzz surrounding the appointments had no effect on the opening first half, with both teams failing to muster a shot on target. The second half didn’t offer much more in terms of entertainment as the game ended in a deadlock. The draw leaves the Gunners 11th in the league, four points ahead of Everton in 15th place. Here are 5 Hits and Flops from Everton 0-0 Arsenal.
#5 Hit: Granit Xhaka
Often the scapegoat of Arsenal’s misfortunes, Granit Xhaka put in a calm and assured performance in the heart of the midfield. The Swiss international battled with great intensity against Everton’s notoriously hard-working pivot. The former captain was not only combative off the ball through winning 67% of aerial duels but he was also composed on the ball, completing a 92% passing accuracy.
When the Goodison faithful became irate and tried to rally their own players, Xhaka stood firm and commanded his surrounding teammates to get back into position. Despite no longer being the club captain, the 27-year-old acted as a leader more than Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang who spent most the game chasing shadows upfront. If the rumours are true and Xhaka is set to leave in January, Arsenal fans should fear what their midfield will look without him.
#4 Flop: Emile Smith-Rowe
It’s no secret that Emile Smith-Rowe is one of the most exciting young prospects at Arsenal right now. The youngster has proven in several Europa League and Carabao Cup games that he has the talent to succeed at this level. However, in his first-ever Premier League start, the 19-year-old didn’t do himself justice. In an Arsenal side already void of confidence, Smith-Rowe personified that worrying trend the most.
The attacking midfielder was the reason for the deterioration of several attacks, as his loose touches returned the ball back to Everton. He was meant to be the link between midfield and attack, instead, he disconnected them further. Out of his 22 attempted passes, four were misplaced. Apart from that, the youngster didn’t have any kind of meaningful impact on the game. He was eventually put out of his misery in the 66th minute by being subbed off.
#3 Hit: Djibril Sidibé
Up against an exuberant and energetic Gabriel Martinelli, Djibril Sidibé showed the Everton faithful why he’s now the number one choice right-back for Everton. The Frenchman put in a powerful, dominant and tireless performance down the right flank. Most of Arsenal’s attacking threat came down Sidibé’s side as Bukayo Saka and Martinelli kept trying to overload the Frenchman. Instead, the 27-year-old stood up strong to the two youngsters and nullified their threats at the same time.
Defensively he was perfect, as across the 90 minutes, the right-back successfully completed 4 take-ons, 3 tackles, 4 interceptions and 32 passes. While going forward, he was literally the Toffees only attacking threat as he often bulldozed past Arsenal’s makeshift left-back. In a match void of quality, Sidibé was the only shining light for the watching Carlo Ancelotti to delight in.
#2 Flop: Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang
Some would argue that the Gabonese international had no service to work with, but that would point to how one dimensional Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's style of play is. Throughout his 78 minutes on the pitch, the 30-year-old attempted only 3 shots, completed 0 successful take-ons and only 38% of his passes. His influence was so limited that he only made 6 passes throughout the game, despite attempting 16.
Many a rumour has been circulating in recent weeks that the star striker is seriously considering his future. The 30-year-old has not put pen to paper on a new contract, with his current one expiring in 2021. With performances like these, no Arsenal fan would care if the striker left tomorrow. Of course, he can blame it on the rest of the team, but even the youngsters surrounding him looked more dangerous.
#1 Hit: Calum Chambers
It’s no secret that Arsenal’s defence has been the main source of their woes this season. In 18 league games, the Gunners have conceded an appalling 27 goals, more than everyone in the top 9. Today’s 0-0 draw with Everton was the team’s first clean sheet in 15 games.
For a team that’s only won once in 13 games, a clean sheet is almost like a win for these players who are scraping the bottom of the barrel for confidence. This rare clean sheet is no surprise when you consider Calum Chambers was at the heart of the team’s defence. He was also involved in the club’s first clean sheet of the season away at Newcastle.
In his man of the match performance, the 24-year-old won 5 aerial duels, made 6 clearances, 2 interceptions and 3 tackles. He also impressed with vital blocks that denied the Toffees clear chances at goal. If Chambers can continue this level of performance, it’ll leave Sokratis and David Luiz to fight to be his partner for the rest of the season with Mustafil looking over their shoulder.
