The 2022/23 Premier League season is serving up a real feast of soccer action for fans. With drama at both ends of the table, there will be no let-up in exciting games to catch during the final few months of the season.
High-flying Arsenal’s upcoming clash with an Everton team who have been disappointing overall this season is a case in point. Taking place on March 1st, 2023, it should be a high-octane affair with plenty to play for. It should also be a game which has plenty of wagers made on it.
Soccer betting on Premier League matches is very popular now after all and fans of both sides will be looking to back their team for a win. If you plan to add extra fun to following this game via sports betting, checking out the best apps for betting is advised.
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Whether you plan to bet on this game or just watch how it pans out, the tactics and formations each manager will use are key. So, how might this look?
Arsenal tactical analysis
Mikel Arteta’s tactics at Arsenal show he has clearly learned from his old boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. This includes Arteta preferring his Arsenal team to play a possession-based game and hurt teams with their pace in key moments.
In general, the Gunners have played a 4-2-3-1 in 2022/23 and this has worked out very well for them. This system not only gives playmaker Martin Odegaard the freedom to roam off the main striker but also for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka to be a real threat in the wider attacking areas.
Out of possession, the double pivot of Nicholas Partey and Granit Xhaka provides great protection to the back four.
Everton tactical analysis
Even though Sean Dyche’s appointment as Everton boss was fairly recent, he has already settled into a pattern of play familiar from his Burnley days. This involves a direct style which focuses on being compact out of possession and direct in attack.
Whether it is longer balls for the striker to hold up or crosses into the box, Dyche has stuck to what he knows at Goodison.
One change which has been dictated by a lack of attacking options though is a switch from his favored 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1. This allows Everton to have a solid central three in midfield, while also allowing their wide midfielders (usually McNeil and Iwobi) to offer protection to the full-backs.
Which tactical approach will win out?
It will be interesting to see which of the approaches adopted by Arteta and Dyche will work best on the day. Looking back to Everton’s 1-0 win against Arsenal in early February, it was the aggression of Dyche which came out on top .
The central three in midfield from Everton that day were especially impressive and gave people like Odegaard no time on the ball. Arsenal looked shell-shocked in that match and unable to live with the high intensity style of play Dyche has brought to the Toffees.
We think that a coach as smart as the Spaniard though will have learned from facing Everton before and tweak his own tactics to suit. This could mean tweaks Arteta could make to Arsenal’s gameplan could be something he employs in this match.
Can Arsenal beat Everton in this game?
Although the 1-0 loss to Everton and a 3-1 loss against title rivals Manchester City recently were bumps in the road, the Gunners have enjoyed a very good season overall. This should leave them full of confidence for this match and eager to grab three points to boost their title aspirations.
When you compare the two teams, it is clear that Arsenal are far stronger on paper. Whether it is Partey, Odegaard and Xhaka in midfield, Saliba in defense or Saka up front, they have a much better roster of players to choose from. The Gunners have also been in good form on home soil this season overall and this bodes well for them.
Offensive firepower could be too much for Toffees
In terms of attacking play, Arsenal also has plenty of pace to trouble a ponderous looking Everton backline with. The first Liverpool goal in the recent Merseyside derby is a perfect example of how slow Everton are going backwards. If the Gunners can capitalize on this with quick breaks on the transition themselves, they could take all three points.
It is not all plain sailing for the team in this game though. Main striker Gabriel Jesus remains out injured and he will be a big miss for them. We also need to consider the 1-0 loss against Dyche’s Everton recently and wonder if this will play on the minds of Arsenal players.
Could Everton have a chance?
There is no doubt that Everton looks far more organized and compact under new manager Dyche. This could leave them tough for the Gunners to break down, especially if they park the bus as the away team and try to pinch a 1-0 win.
In the same way that Arsenal will be motivated to take all the points here for their title bid, Everton will be fired up for victory to stave off relegation worries. Set pieces could be their main source of joy and Dyche is known to spend hours working on these on the training ground.
We have already seen deep corners to the far post aimed at James Tarkowski a staple of Everton’s corner routines. If they can get a goal from this and shut down spaces in front of their defense for dangerous men like Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard to operate in, they could taste victory.
Away form could spoil Everton’s party
While we will not rule out an Everton win, there are some significant obstacles for them to overcome first. To begin with, they must somehow find a way to be more effective as the away team. Their form away from Goodison has been dire for a while now and Dyche must fix this to stand any chance here.
As noted above, the team of players Everton has to call on cannot match the standard of players Arsenal has overall. This leaves them at a real disadvantage before a ball is even kicked. Although Pickford, Tarkowski, Onana and Calvert-Lewin all have genuine quality, precious few others have.
Perhaps the biggest danger to Everton’s chances though are goals – or lack of them! Regular injuries to main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin have really hampered them and they have no other regular scorers to call on. If Calvert-Lewin is not available for this clash, it could be a tough night for the Merseyside outfit.
Arsenal vs Everton: Conclusion
Although it is hard to predict anything in soccer, we feel that Arsenal will just about edge this game. Everton’s awful away form plus the extra quality the Gunners have to call on in front of their home fans should allow them to emerge victorious.
