It was a day to forget for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta's league leaders walked straight into an Everton storm and suffered a shock 1-0 defeat.
And Scotland star Kieran Tierney could only watch amid the Sean Dyche-induced whirlwind as a unused substitute – a decision which was noted by Football London in their post-match report. The £25m man has been forced into a watching brief for much of the English Premier League season amid Oleksandr Zinchenko's remarkable form since taking control of the starting left-back berth. And the Ukraine international's knack for following out Arteta's demand to thrive in the inverted role had Arsenal hero Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand gushing before kick–off.
Keown, speaking to BT Sport said: "Tactically, it’s about this man, the way that he’s played as an inverted full-back, plays with a great deal of energy and intelligence, and almost arrogance to be honest. Zinchenko moves into that central area, the front three are out in their positions, and they can break. When Zinchenko comes into midfield it means Xhaka can burst forward and then they create extra space on the sides, they create a two v one in wide positions and it’s a nightmare to play against."
And Ferdinand was equally effusive in his praise of Zinchenko, adding: "One of the things about him being able to play in that inverted role is the players in more attacking positions, so coming into that area he’s very, very at ease there."
Zinchenko was then way below his best, however, it appeared Dyche had all the answers to combat Arsenal's preferred method of attack-building with a high-intensity approach to take on players at source and push the Gunners into central areas. The space on the wings was noted and Tierney was namechecked as a potential game-changer from those within Goodison Park. Football London, in their online match report stated: "Perhaps he could have brought on the overlapping runs of Kieran Tierney to make use of the space Dyche had surrendered in the wide areas on a day where the inverted full back tactic wasn't working."
Tierney is a cast-iron starter by the time the Europa League rolls around but with exits from both domestic cup competitions – game time certainly isn't a guarantee. Arsenal face Brentford next Sunday to set up a monumental clash with Manchester City on February 15. It appears a big if the former Celtic star will have a part to play or will once again be on the sidelines.
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