Key events
Email! “…And relax.” Charles Antaki begins. “His fans know that Arsenal They're not going to win the league (they might not even win this game), but it doesn't matter. He's been great. We can delight in Declan Rice's Stakhanovite highs and lows, drool over Ødegaard's talent, appreciate Saka's general friendliness (and wish Arteta had given the kid a little more rest from time to time), and vicariously delight in the wiles of Ben White. Also: Saliba, Gabriel, Havertz. And much more. The league? Maybe next year.”
There is an old saying in writing that when you edit and revise a work, you have to “kill your darlings,” that is, take out the things you like because they don't fit perfectly, thus elevating the work. I'm sure Arteta loves his players, but he also seems like a guy totally devoid of mercy; I think he will have to prove it this summer to face this team.
Where is the game? Everton will have Arsenal surround them if possible, Onana and Gueye will patrol the width of the pitch in front of the back four. Without Saka, Arsenal might find this more difficult than usual: Leandro Trossard might have to go outside, if he can, while Ben White drops in underneath, to stretch the field.
Otherwise, I'm a little surprised that it's Takehiro Tomiyasu at left back, not the more attacking and creative Oleks Zinchenko, because I can't see James Garner running at anyone. But he is on the bench, as is Jurrien Timber, in case it is necessary.
Meanwhile, Everton will seek to reach Arsenal from set pieces and crosses (Garner and McNeil are capable of excellent deliveries), but otherwise expect them to stay fit and invite Arsenal to beat them.
Sean Dyche says it has been a difficult season. some self-inflicted some not, and everyone involved in the club deserves praise, including him. Yes, he really said that; Of course he did. Everton They are in a good position now, he believes, and their job today is to play well.
Of course, there's also this that might be more relevant: a Arsenal team that, now without the League, returned to ridicule at the end of 02-03.
Back to Tony Adams, he of course scored a good goal playing at home for Everton in 1998. I can't lie, I was in my hole at the time and I may or may not have missed it, running out of the pub at half-time to avoid the pain of my teammates, and looking back, there's something poignant about that look. of pure peace on Adams' face as she celebrated. He must have feared he would never live a moment like that again; he must have feared never to live a moment again; So who can envy him?
On the way to the bus stop, I called my father, who informed me – well, consoled me – with the news that Manchester City had been relegated. I'm not sure those are words anyone will be writing anytime soon.
But he is not the only former England centre-back. and lifestyle guru making a statement…
A tremendous TA platform, maybe missing three Adidas stripes on the arms and a JVC in the middle.
At this point, two Everton backbone players are highly rated, Jarron Branthwaite and Amadou Onana, so how do we view them? I like Branthwaite, but I wonder if he has elite level potential, but I've never seen Onana play well enough to see him this close to that level, and be left out of a struggling team, like he has been this season, also does I wonder.
Everton remain unchanged after last weekend's narrow victory over Sheffield United. and there is a pretty solid look to this XI. I hope Arsenal win, but I also hope they have to work for it.
There are those who think that it is in Arsenal avoid handing the trophy to City given the 115 pending charges; explains that that's exactly what they decided, which totally quashes all speculation and makes those wondering what the hell is going on conclusively. Surprisingly As expected, he did not ask any further questions on the subject.
He thinks it has been a good season, he doesn't want to use the VAR. Why I guess? It seems unlikely that I've ever had a vintage bully for the sake of a subjective call made destroyed by a guy in a lorry in Stockley Park, but I think sitting down has to improve. Naturally, he does not offer any details on this point.
Saka's place goes to Gabriel Martinelli, who, according to Martin Keown, was dynamite in training when he went to see him on Wednesday, but sorry for the interruption: Premier League team manager Richard Masters is being interviewed.
No, I won't; Arteta, dressed all in seasonal black, is being interviewed by BT. Artetz explains that Saka has always been available, something his manager made it her mission to do, and that he suffered a slight muscle injury during training. Otherwise, the Arsenal The manager says it should be a special day, that City and Liverpool have set the standards, that his men know the task is big and that they must be “almost perfect”. They have tried it and they will see if it is enough.
Arteta wants help from the local public and congratulates them Everton for what they have done in a difficult season, and that is a lot.
I'm going to write this, then we will wonder what they mean.
Equipment!
Arsenal (4-3-3): stripe; Blanco, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Partey, Ødegaard, Rice; Trossard, Havertz, Martinelli. Substitutes: Ramsdale, Zinchenko, Timber, Kiwior, Jorginho, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Jesus, Nketiah.
Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; Gueye, Onana; Garner, Doucouré, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin. Substitutes: Virginia, Crellin, Keane, Beto, Godfrey, Chermiti, Warrington, Hunt, Dobbin.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Ashington)
Preamble
Perhaps the best thing about football (and as much as we enjoy making fun of it, its shortlist is very long) is that, unlike most days of our lives, things happen. Things that we could never have conceived before, that stay with us forever and facilitate the second most important thing about football: the ability to behave in a way considered unacceptable in any other environment, together with an incomparable combination of people we love and complete. strangers. . There is nothing remotely like it.
Thus, although it seems unlikely that Arsenal end the day as league champions for the first time in two decades, and who would have predicted that in May 2004? – As the saying goes, man plans and football laughs.
Of course, we could respond by saying, “Well, only once did the team that started the last day at the top of the table fail to end up dancing with a silver pot.” But equally, we could refer, for example, to 1964-65, 1971-72, 1994-95, 1998-99, 2011-12 and 2021-22, all of which featured hijinks of intense proportions. That is to say, things can go sideways with life and end in a quiet, disappointing way… or football can simply take over.
Either way, it has been another strong season for Mikel Arteta's men, the defensive fragility that cost them key moments last season all but eradicated this. Even if it goes against them today, they are closer to the top than before, and the next step in their rise is obvious: the addition or development of world-class attackers capable of redeeming poor performances or a big waste with winning contributions from matches.
Given the above, it would be easy to forget that we have two teams playing at the Emirates today, but the visitors also deserve a lot of praise for how they have bounced back. An eight-point deduction could easily have led to relegation and, although they have been helped by promoted clubs who are always likely to return from whence they came, no team will enjoy returning to face Sean Dyche, having fallen before everyone else. . However, since football is football, you never know. Go ahead!
Start: 4pm BST
