Everton – Arsenal: Dyche’s Defensive Scheme Disarms Gunners (1-0)
Everton wasted no time in showing the improved defensive organization brought by their new coach, as their 4-5-1 shape was able to repel Arsenal’s strong positional attacking. Going forward, Everton were also dangerous, creating the better chances and eventually finding a set-piece winner courtesy of James Tarkowski’s header.
Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.
This week saw the start of Sean Dyche’s tenure at Everton as the club looks to save itself from relegation following their poor first half of the season under Frank Lampard. Dyche went with a 4-5-1 shape for his first lineup, as Séamus Coleman, Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, and Vitalii Mykolenko made up the back four. In central midfield there was the trio of Idrissa Gueye, Abdoulaye Doucouré, and Amadou Onana, while Alex Iwobi and Dwight McNeil were wide. Dominic Calvert-Lewin then played up front as the lone striker.
Arsenal meanwhile returned to full strength after resting a few players in last week’s FA Cup defeat at Manchester City. Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, and Oleksandr Zinchenko were in defense, while Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka were in central midfield. The usual attacking midfielders of their 4-2-3-1 system were also present, as Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli supported Eddie Nketiah up front.
Everton’s defensive strength
Dyche said prior to the game that his baseline expectation from his players here was to give maximum effort. This may be simplistic but it was the groundwork for . . .
Get access to this article and all other quality content of Between the Posts!
Start your two-week free trial now!
Completely ad-free exclusive articles from our expert tactics writers, plus a complete match plots page to explore.
Already a member? Log in
Comments