As exemplified by the superb 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in midweek, this Arsenal team are synchronising perfectly. The cohesion between their midfield five – all playing entirely different roles – is overwhelming most of their opponents. Everton’s best chance of a positive result, therefore, is to focus their attacks down the left flank.
Everton have gradually become more direct in the past 12 months, with the statistics suggesting that Roberto Martinez has taken on board some of the criticism from within his own squad. In 2014/15, Everton averaged 495 passes per game with their main distributing centre-back, Phil Jagielka, making 5.7 long passes per match. This season they are making 436 passes and Jagielka is launching 8 long balls per game.
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