Premier League: Arsenal Out to Hand Dyche Defeat in Everton Debut

Everton vs Arsenal

It’s top vs second-from-bottom in the Premier League this weekend as relegation strugglers Everton host leaders Arsenal.

The Toffees have brought in a new coach in Sean Dyche, who they hope can get them out of another relegation scrap.

But Dyche will have his work cut out for him on his home debut as he takes on the Gunners, who are riding an impressive Premier League unbeaten run and will be keen to extend their lead at the top even further.

Talking Points

Sean Dyche begins Everton rescue mission

Everton are in trouble once again. The Toffees are second from bottom in the table – ahead of bottom club Southampton only by goal difference – amid a disastrous eight-game Premier League winless skid.

A 2-0 defeat to former manager David Moyes’ West Ham was the last straw as Frank Lampard finally got the sack.

Enter Sean Dyche, who now has the tough task of turning things around for the Toffees. But Dyche will not have many great tools at his disposal. Not only did Everton fail to bring anyone in during transfer deadline day, but they also sold off promising young winger Anthony Gordon to Newcastle.

Gordon was the team’s co-leading scorer along with Demarai Gray with three goals, so Everton’s already limited attacking options will be even more reduced.

There will be a few familiar faces for Dyche in the Everton locker room, with former Burnley players James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Dwight McNeil. The first order of business for Dyche will be to install that solid defensive structure that helped keep Burnley up for all those years.

And in attack, Dyche will be hoping Dominic Calvert-Lewin can somehow rediscover his old form and provide some Premier League 2023 highlights soon. The 25-year-old, who has been beset by injuries in recent seasons, has scored just one goal in 10 games this season.

Arsenal add new weapon

Arsenal are now out of both domestic cup competitions after losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup last weekend. It was the Gunners’ first loss in all competitions since getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brighton in early November.

But Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is unlikely to be too distraught about crashing out of the cups since it will give his side more time to rest and focus on winning the Premier League. They currently lead champions Manchester City by five points with a game in hand.

The Gunners got some much-needed reinforcements as they signed Chelsea midfielder Jorginho on transfer deadline day. Although, the Italian may need to wait a while before getting his first start as all of Arsenal’s top midfielders are currently healthy.

Aside from Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe, Arsenal don’t have any other key absentees at the moment. Eddie Nketiah has done brilliantly in place of Jesus. He is now up to 9 goals on the season after his brace in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Manchester United.

Newcomer Leandro Trossard got the start in the loss to Man City, but Gabriel Martinelli is likely to return to the left wing against Everton.

History

Arsenal have gotten the better of Everton in the Premier League era. The Gunners hold a 35-11 advantage in terms of wins, while there have been 14 draws.

Although, Everton did go on quite an impressive winning run over Arsenal as they got a hat-trick of wins from December 2020 to December 2021, two of which were at home.

However, Arsenal finally restored order with a resounding 5-1 victory at the Emirates back in May of 2022. Five different Gunners got on the scoresheet, including Eddie Nketiah and Martin Odegaard.

This will be the first meeting between Arsenal and Everton this season; their first match, which was originally scheduled on September 11, was postponed due to Queen Elizabeth’s death.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 betting odds have Arsenal installed as massive 1.41 favourites to get the win at Goodison. Everton are priced at 7.20 to begin the Dyche era with a win, while a draw is 4.50.

Dyche will look to make things as tough as possible for the leaders on his debut. Everton have not been a good defensive team this season, but Dyche’s arrival should lead to at least some improvements. Although, the same can’t be said of their attack, which is in need of talent more than a change in approach. With all of that in mind, I expect Sean Dyche’s Everton debut against Arsenal to be a relatively low-scoring affair, with Arsenal likely coming out on top by a narrow margin.

 

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