Every title-chasing side, especially one as young as Mikel Arteta’s, will suffer setbacks, but how Arsenal respond to Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Sean Dyche’s Everton could define their season.
Afterwards, Arteta was composed and complementary to the victors, but Arsenal's gruelling rebuild under the Spaniard was characterised by a tendency to crumble in adversity.
In the last two seasons, their defeats have typically been clustered together, including the back-to-to losses against Tottenham and Newcastle at the end of last term, which cost them Champions League football.
Since then, the League leaders are transformed and have responded positively to their infrequent setbacks, notably after their first defeat by Manchester United in September, which was followed by a run of eight successive victories in all competitions.
Defeat on Merseyside, though, came on the back of a loss by the same scoreline at Manchester City in the FA Cup and, while neither result is a disaster in isolation, together they hint at a possible return of Arsenal’s streakiness ahead of a crucial week. The manner of their performance will also have concerned Arteta, even if City’s defeat at Spurs on Sunday has ensured the result was not as costly as it might have been.
Buoyed by Dyche’s arrival, a magnificent Everton opened old wounds in Arsenal, and potentially established a blueprint for other sides to follow. While Arsenal went toe-to-toe with United in defeat at Old Trafford, for the first time this season they were bullied by an opponent and a raucous home crowd, who got behind Dyche and his players.
Arsenal would probably have conceded sooner in previous years, but they were still outfought, characterised by Everton’s winner by James Tarkowski, who barged Martin Odegaard aside to head home Dwight McNeil’s corner — a goal straight out of Dyche’s Burnley playbook.
Abdoulaye Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye were all superb, winning the midfield battle by hassling and hounding Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka into jittery mistakes.
A magnificent Everton opened old wounds in Arsenal, and potentially established a blueprint for other sides to follow
Partey, who came into the match with a rib complaint, and Odegaard were both replaced before the end, with Jorginho on for a debut, as Arteta sought more control and a late rally which never materialised.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was effective, occupying Arsenal’s centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba, even if he was guilty of missing chances. Arteta admitted Arsenal struggled with Everton’s directness — and in a telling slip of the tongue, even referred to them as ‘Burnley’ in one interview — which will be music to the ears of their next opponents, Brentford.
Coincidentally, Arsenal followed up the defeat at United with an assured 3-0 win over the Bees, immediately calming any fears of a wobble. Since then, Thomas Frank’s side have become harder to beat and added a greater goal threat, and they thrashed Southampton on Saturday to move into the top six.
Frank has his own physical centre-forward in Ivan Toney, who is in better goal-scoring nick than Calvert-Lewin, and the Dane will have noted how Arsenal have struggled to play their usual game when faced with physical midfield threes. If Brentford mirror Everton’s direct approach, Arsenal will have to be far better than they were here to avoid further frustration.
Failing to return to winning ways against the Bees would set alarm bells ringing, given City are their opponents on Wednesday week in a game which could go a long way to determining if Arsenal can dethrone Pep Guardiola’s side as champions.
Arsenal crumbled last season with a rival breathing down their necks, albeit in the race for fourth place, and now Arteta and his squad must prove they have moved beyond their old tendency to collapse.
