Mikel Arteta hails ‘three very intelligent football brains’ in Merino, Rice and Odegaard
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Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are still unbeaten at the Emirates in all competitions this season.
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LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes that his team’s midfield will be key as he prepares for their English Premier League clash against Everton on Dec 14.
The Gunners head into the match in good form, having beaten AS Monaco 3-0 in the Champions League on Dec 11.
They will face a fresh Everton side, whose league match on Dec 7 against Liverpool was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. Before that, the Toffees thrashed Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0.
Sharing a rare insight into his team’s dynamics on Dec 13, Arteta has faith that his midfield trio of Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard can make the difference.
“There’ve been a lot of new units recently... and I think they can play well together,” he said, without confirming if all three will start.
“They will play again together for sure in the near future. Three very intelligent football brains. They like to play for others. You have players who can hold the ball in tight spaces and can play for others. Martin is exceptional in his timing and the high press.”
Merino, Rice and Odegaard played together against Monaco, and Arteta is unlikely to change the trio in the home game against Everton.
While Arsenal have nearly secured automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16, their last Premier League match was a 1-1 draw with Fulham which left them in third spot – six points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.
A fifth stalemate of the league season did not bode well for their title hopes, but the Gunners are still unbeaten at the Emirates in all competitions this campaign.
Their win over Monaco was the third home game in a row in which Arsenal have scored multiple goals and kept a clean sheet, so Everton would be wary that they would be up against a tough challenge.
Furthermore, Arsenal’s 81 per cent win rate in Premier League home matches in 2024 is their best since winning 84 per cent of such matches in 2007.
“The boys are really fired up and looking forward and understanding we’ll have to be really good to beat them. I love the way they (Everton) get all together and they face the storms,” former Everton midfielder Arteta added.
But the Arsenal boss has some injury concerns. He confirmed that defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes are doubtful, although the latter is closer to a return, while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain sidelined.
As for Everton, midfielders James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam are expected to miss out.
Sean Dyche’s men, despite having a week off, should be buoyed by their win over Wolves. Before that, they had not scored in four league matches, were winless in five and managed only five goals in their previous eight fixtures.
The Toffees are in 15th place on 14 points, five points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town, with a game in hand.
“We are always looking for ways to try and make it work, and win games,” said Dyche.
“Finding different ways of winning is what I have always been trying to achieve, with whatever group I’m working with. It is not always about clever movement, just the simple basic of a top delivery and attacking it. That sometimes gets overlooked.”
