Sean Dyche has oft been a thorn in our side.
His penchant for physical, direct, defense-first football has, at times, left us bruised and battered and there have been some memorably bad results at his hands in recent times too.
Who can forget that rock-bottom feeling when his Burnley side came to the Emirates in December 2020 and inflicted the most lamentable of defeats that almost brought an end to the Mikel Arteta era before it had even really begun?
And what about his first game in charge at Everton, in January 2023, when he we travelled to Goodison Park as league leaders and somehow, inexplicably, came away with a 1-0 defeat to the worst side in the division?
Yes, he’s taken his fair share of beatings at our hands too but there’s something about Dyche that rankles me, that stirs up an irrational desire to see his teams humiliated. And what funnier way to achieve that than playing him at his own game, and winning.
As we all know, Arsenal have become synonymous this season with the set piece and the headed goal – we love nothing more and rivals fans love nothing less. It’s the perfect combination.
What better way to beat Everton this weekend therefore, than with a barrage of the gnarliest, most physical, despicable set of set piece goals we have yet scored? I can think of nothing better.
For a man who has built his managerial career on defensive solidity and set-piece mastery, it would be the perfect way to bring him down. It is easier said than done, of course, given that this man drills his sides all day, every day, in the art of set piece discipline but, were I Arsenal manager, there would be no way I could resist the temptation to go toe-to-toe.
Much will depend, as ever, on the personnel we have available to us. We have had a makeshift feel to our backline for some weeks now and I don’t expect that to change any time soon. For all Mikel Arteta’s noises about players being close, or pushing to return, it seems clear to me that Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori are more profoundly injured than is being let on. That means more rotation, that means more square pegs in round holes, and a greater burden on players who have iffy injury records of their own.
It’s not an ideal situation.
If we can get one or two bodies back this weekend, it would be a huge relief but I’m not confident. It feels like we head into every weekend now holding our breath for no more bad news.
Fortunately, injuries further forward seem to have stabilised but the manager will need to think seriously about spreading some minutes around there too, particularly as we have Raheem Sterling currently twiddling his thumbs on the bench while Bukayo Saka plays three games a week.
For their own part, Everton come into the weekend well rested having seen last week’s fixture against Liverpool postponed and their last outing before that was a 4-0 win over struggling Wolves. That said, they remain in 15th, in the lower reaches of the Premier League, and unlikely to make serious progress northwards this season. That presents an opportunity for Arsenal.
Amid a busy schedule, this is a game they should be looking at as a chance to take three points. It’s a Saturday, it’s a 3pm kick off, and it’s at home. With full focus and no as yet undisclosed injury disasters, we have to be looking to take three points.
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