Everton vs Arsenal: The Opposition View | Final meeting at Goodison for Moyes & Arteta

A famous matchup spanning more than a century will see its Goodison Park finale this

There are a small number of teams that have never been relegated from the Premier League since its inception. Of those teams, none can claim to have stayed up in the first tier of English football for longer than the two teams that will meet at Goodison Park for one final match on Saturday.

Everton and Arsenal FC have been playing consistent first-team football for so long that few alive will remember the last time they did not secure enough points to remain playing in the top flight; there have been close calls of course, but not this year.

The Blues looked a struggling side under Sean Dyche for most of the first portion of the season, but a club hero – David Moyes – has restored some confidence into the side, who have lost only twice in the Premier League since his return; losing to Aston Villa and Liverpool aren’t dreadful losses, however.

Meanwhile, for Arsenal, another Everton hero strolls the sidelines, barking orders and directing action with his arm moving widely at times. Mikel Arteta is never an easy boss to coach against, but both Everton and David Moyes have had success against his sides at times.

The Blues have really turned things around since David Moyes took charge once more, and will look to do so in the final Goodison Park match against Arsenal.

As the Gunners look to get ready for a tough European matchup against Real Madrid on the week, and the Premier League looks lost to that Merseyside squad in red, it remains to be seen if the side from down south comes out as hot as they might otherwise

Ahead of Saturday’s big match, we spoke to Aaron Lerner, writer for SB Nation’s Arsenal blog, The Short Fuse:

RBM: First off, what are the vibes around the Gunners and their supporters at the moment? While the Premier League looks a long shot at this point in the season, how is the side handling UCL expectations?

TSF: The vibes are actually pretty good. For the most part, the supporters understand that the reasons this season has not gone to plan are outside of the club’s control, and they’re okay with it. There are plenty of fans who are downright impressed with Arsenal holding steady in second place in the table and making a Champions League Quarterfinal in the face of everything that has gone wrong.

There is also a growing impatience in some corners. Arsenal have been quite good for three seasons now and they’ve got nothing to show for it in terms of trophies. I want to see Arsenal win trophies, but my impatience is tempered by a couple factors. First, the recollection of how miserable Arsenal were not too long ago – we’re just three seasons removed from the club missing out on Europe entirely for the first time in 25 seasons. Mikel Arteta has brought the club a long way forward in a relatively short period of time. It seems foolish to make big changes to a steadily upward trend.

Second, the realization that winning trophies is really difficult and requires a fair bit of luck that, unfortunately, Arsenal haven’t gotten enough of (yes, I know they were rather healthy last season). Two seasons ago, the surprise title challenge, if William Saliba, Thomas Partey, and Oleksandr Zinchenko don’t all get hurt down the stretch, maybe the Gunners hold onto the top spot. Last season, it took Manchester City, the club with 130-some odd charges of financial impropriety against them, going on an historic run of form to pip an Arsenal side who went 16-1-1 in the Premier League in 2024. This year, the side have been destroyed by injuries.

As far as UCL expectations are concerned, making the QF, which the club did last season, was the baseline requirement this season, and they’ve managed that. Once you get to the knockouts, it’s a bit of a crapshoot anyway – knockout football is so unpredictable and can be weird. Gabriel’s injury, which I’ll talk more about later, dampens the hopes against Real Madrid, but in 2005-06 (when the Gunners made the CL final), they won at the Bernabeu (becoming the first English side to do so) with a backline of Flamini, Senderos, Toure, and Eboue. As long as you’re on the pitch, you’ve got a fighting chance.

One thing we’ve learned about this Arsenal side is they’ve got fight. For years, the talk was that Arsenal were soft. Not this group. They’ve taken everything the football gods have thrown at them this season in stride and kept battling. Even when the football was a bit lackluster because guys were hurt and playing out of position, the one constant was the compete level.

RBM: How has this side managed with so many injuries to key players across the campaign?

TSF: Arsenal have managed pretty well, honestly. The injuries have been ridiculous. I don’t have the exact numbers off the top of my head, but last season, Arsenal’s preferred back four played 35ish games together. This season, I’d be surprised if it was much more than 10 matches. Martin Ødegaard missed two months. Bukayo Saka missed three months. Kai Havertz will have missed three months. That’s three of the top four in goal contributions from last season all missing significant chunks of the season.

Young players have emerged, players have stepped up, and guys have done a job playing out of position. Myles Lewis-Skelly (18 years old) and Ethan Nwaneri (turned 18 in late March) showing themselves not only to be Premier League-level players but above average (at the very least) has been of critical importance. It’s been big for this season but it’s even bigger going forward. That’s two roster spots that Arsenal don’t have to fill in the transfer market, which means they can turn their attention elsewhere and allocate more money to those gaps.

Mikel Merino deserves mention, too. After scoring a substitute brace against Leicester City in the first match after Kai Havertz got hurt, Merino admitted he’d never played striker before in his life. Including those two goals, he’s scored six in the Premier League and added another in the Champions League. He’s far from the ideal striker, but he’s done more than well enough on an emergency basis. His ability to do a job up top has minimized the disruption to the rest of the formation. He does a lot of the same things Kai Havertz does – is good at finding space and linking up the play, works really hard off the ball and on the press – albeit with much less attacking flair. But his ability to be 75% or so of Havertz has meant that Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli hasn’t had to become the main striker, that the overall structure doesn’t have to change, and that the familiar play patterns can remain mostly intact.

RBM: How good is Ethan Nwaneri?

TSF: Fantastic. He’s going to be a star attacker in the Premier League. His assist against Fulham was his 10th goal contribution of the season in all competitions. There is only one player younger than him to have reached that mark in the big five leagues – Lamine Yamal. Obviously, Nwaneri is not Yamal, but he’s really, really good. He has excellent close control and is confident on the ball. His ability to dribble across the top of the box from right to left, shoot, and score from distance is unique in the Arsenal squad – the Gunners don’t really have other attackers who are proficient from range. And we shouldn’t forget he only has about 30 senior appearances to his name. He’s getting better each time he steps out on the pitch.

It would be unfair to talk about Nwaneri without mentioning Myles Lewis-Skelly, too. MLS isn’t a left-back by trade. I’d point out that Bukayo Saka got his start in the Arsenal side at fullback, too. Lewis-Skelly won’t be moved up to the wing, but his long-term position is likely further forward in the formation – maybe as a box-to-box midfielder.

He’s playing left-back out of necessity and excelling there, aided by his midfield training. He’s comfortable coming infield on the ball and distributing, much in the way that Oleksandr Zinchenko did the season he joined Arsenal. MLS is particularly good at using his body to ride out challenges and spin off would-be defenders. He invites the contact then shields the ball away using his excellent body control and surprising strength. He gets fouled a lot as a result, too. Of course, he’s gotten himself into a bit of trouble once or twice when he’s lost the ball in a tricky spot trying to turn away from pressure. But you’re okay with that. You’d much rather he play confidently and look to do positive things with the ball (which most of the time he does) than treat the ball like a grenade that he’s got to get rid of as quickly as possible.

MLS also has a nice bit of attitude and snarl to his game. He comes to his teammates’ defense when an opponent gives that extra shove after the ball has gone out of play. There was that fantastic bit of business with him doing Erling Haaland’s celebration after scoring against Manchester City in the 5-1 rout at the Emirates. For those who don’t know, Haaland rudely brushed MLS aside saying “who the eff are you” when MLS stepped in and up for his teammates/manager when Haaland was being a punk in the scrum after the match at the Etihad, running his mouth with his infamous “stay humble” nonsense. Myles is a really easy player to like.

I’ve gone back and forth several times on which of Nwaneri or Lewis-Skelly is better and / or more Premier League-ready right now. As soon as I start thinking one has the upper hand, the other does something really impressive. It’s not a question that really needs answering, either. They’re both excellent young players. It’s a mark of pride for Hale End, the Arsenal academy, and massive for the club.

RBM: What will Mikel Arteta look to bring in this summer to aid the squad moving forward?

TSF: Arsenal have two massive needs this summer – a striker and a central midfielder. Those are the spots that feel like they absolutely have to be filled. The club could also do with a wide attacker and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, another defender. The club also needs a backup keeper, which shouldn’t be too difficult to sort out.

Arsenal were heavily linked with 21-year old Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko last summer, but he signed a new contract at RB Leipzig. My sense is that if that deal was there to be made for a reasonable number, it would have happened. So something – Leipzig’s price tag, player demands / desire – derailed it. It seems that the club’s interest in Sesko has cooled. Right now, the primary target looks to be Viktor Gyökeres, who has had two excellent seasons at Sporting CP. I’ll be honest, I’m not thrilled with him as the target. I’ve got some concerns about the underlying numbers and whether he’ll translate to the Premier League, but I’ll trust the club’s judgment. The Gunners have also been linked with Alexander Isak, but I think the price tag will be too high. I also question whether Isak can hold up physically playing a schedule that includes European competition. He’s had injury issues in the past, most importantly last season, when Newcastle were in Europe.

Honestly, I thought the club would move for a striker last summer and was surprised when they didn’t look elsewhere, at least not publicly. This regime at Arsenal has been methodical and intentional with transfer business. They stick to their targets and would rather not make a move at all than make the wrong one. The striker move feels like it needs to happen this summer, though. I’ve been willing to trust the club’s judgment because they’ve rebuilt this roster into one of the top squads in Europe in a relatively short time, but they’re going to lose the benefit of the doubt with me if they don’t do something this summer. That’s not to say I’ll immediately swap to wanting everyone sacked, but if they don’t bring in elite attacking reinforcement of some sort, it’ll be trophy or bust in my mind. Basically if they don’t add to the attack and they don’t win something next year, it’ll be time for some changes. Probably not Arteta out, but somebody will have to go. That has become a bit more complicated with Edu’s departure earlier this season and the recent hire of Andrea Berta from Atletico Madrid to replace him as sporting director.

Jumping around a bit here, but the only way I could see myself being alright with Arsenal not signing an out-and-out striker is if they bring in someone like Nico Williams. The Gunners need attacking punch, and not Leandro Trossard, Cody Gakpo, insert solid but rotational player here. Arsenal need to add an elite player, a guy who is going to push Bukayo Saka for the club lead in goal contributions. Easy-peasy, right?

Right, rapid-fire to wrap up this answer. Martin Zubimendi looks to be the target to replace Thomas Partey. Partey is out of contract at the end of the season and it doesn’t look like the club want to bring him back, which is more than fine with me. For what it’s worth, he’s actually had a healthy, solid season, but it isn’t about on-field performance with him. Jorginho is also out of contract, so the Gunners definitely need someone in the middle.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, and Kieran Tierney are out the door this summer and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s health is a massive question mark (as is Riccardo Calafiori’s, which is an unfortunate thing to say about a player the club just bought), so the Gunners need will need a defender. Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba will be the only true centerbacks at the club, so it’ll probably be a buy in the middle of defense. Plus, we all know how much Mikel Arteta likes buying defenders. If he could field an entire team of left backs, he might do it! At one point this season, Arsenal had five players on the pitch who were or had played left back.

RBM: How will Gabriel Magalhaes’ season-ending hamstring injury affect the side?

TSF: It’ll have a massive effect, I think a bigger one than people realize. Gabriel and William Saliba have been among the best CB pairings in Europe over the past few years and have anchored an Arsenal defense that, statistically, has been at the very top of all the important categories. You take away half of that combination and you’re inevitably going to get something less than. Saliba doesn’t look quite as good or comfortable playing next to anybody else.

Arsenal will also miss Gabriel’s attacking contributions. He’s scored 17 Premier League goals since debuting in September 2020, the most of any defender. He’s a big part of why the Gunners have been so good on set pieces.

His injury comes at a particularly bad time, both because it’s right before a CL tie with Real Madrid and because of all the other injuries Arsenal have in defense. Riccardo Calafiori can play LCB, but he’s hurt. Takehiro Tomiyasu can play either CB spot, but he’s been out all season. Ben White can play RCB with Saliba at LCB, but White picked up a knock in training last week. Jurrien Timber, who can play RB, LB, and RCB (maybe LCB, I don’t know), left the Fulham match with an injury problem and his status is up in the air. Honestly, the best option for that spot might be Kieran Tierney, but Mikel Arteta will stick Jakub Kiwior in there, I think. Kiwior is a fine player, but it feels like he makes a significant mistake each match that leads to at least a half-chance.

RBM: Who can you see giving Everton some trouble this Saturday up on Merseyside, and how might the Gunners line up versus Everton?

TSF: Bukayo Saka is back from his three-month injury layoff, so Everton will likely want to concern themselves with stopping him. He didn’t waste any time on his return, either. Minutes after taking the pitch, he nearly set up a goal with a lovely cross to the back post, and six-and-a-half minutes after coming on, he scored. He’s averaging more than a goal contribution per 90 this season. Arsenal are a completely different team with him on the pitch. Gabriel Martinelli might cause problems, too.

The Brazilian winger has had a quiet season but had his best performance in a long while last time out. The combination of Martinelli finding a bit of form with the additional space created by Saka’s return could be a dangerous one for opponents.

Predicted Arsenal lineup: Raya, Lewis-Skelly, Kiwior, Saliba, ??? (depends on fitness – it’ll be Ben White or Jurrien Timber if either can go, if not, it’ll be Thomas Partey), Partey (or Jorginho if Partey is playing RB), Rice, Ødegaard, Martinelli, Saka, Merino.

RBM: Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday’s match?

TSF: Everton have been playing well under David Moyes and look much more competent and dangerous (at times) going forward. They’ve scored in 9 of 12 matches since the start of his 2nd stint in the dugout. With Arsenal’s defensive question marks, I think the Toffees will get a goal, but Arsenal doesn’t often concede more than one. I think Bukayo Saka’s return makes it very likely the Gunners get at least one. So the question is whether the Starboy or Arsenal’s set-piece prowess (which has run a bit cold and now lacks Gabriel’s threat) against Everton’s mixed results defending set pieces can find a second goal. Y’all are no slouches from the dead ball, either.

I think 1-1 is most likely. 2-1 to Arsenal wouldn’t surprise me. I can definitely see how 2-1 to Everton could happen, but it’s less likely than those other two. I suppose a 1-0 either way is in the realm of possibility, too. Basically, I’m expecting a close game. I really don’t have a solid feel for how this one will go beyond that.