Mikel Arteta left Tim Sherwood ‘really surprised’ with a ‘brave’ decision the Arsenal boss made in their 0-0 draw at home to Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Another chance to put pressure on early Premier League leaders Liverpool went begging for Arsenal this weekend. A resilient defensive display by Everton nullified most of the Gunners’ attacking force on a day that Fulham did them a favour by taking a 2-2 draw away at Anfield.
Liverpool twice had to come from behind to salvage a point against Fulham, maintaining the Reds’ six-point margin over Arsenal. But the Gunners, who also had to come from behind to claim a draw at the Cottagers last Sunday, would not break Everton down to take advantage.
Mikel Arteta stuns Tim Sherwood by substituting Martin Odegaard in Arsenal 0-0 Everton
Everton manager Sean Dyche clearly set his side up to sit back and soak Arsenal’s pressure at Emirates Stadium. The Toffees’ tactics did the trick, too, as the Gunners only aimed five of their 13 shots on target. Jordan Pickford had the answer for each, with five even blocked.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were responsible for the most shots with three each against Everton this Saturday. No player for either side attempted more than the pair, yet they only aimed one on target like Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz.
So, in his attempt to get around Everton’s resilient defence, Arteta turned to Arsenal’s bench and introduced Ethan Nwaneri plus Jorginho for Odegaard and Declan Rice after 62 minutes. He also called Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey and Leandro Trossard on in the 69th and 74th.
Jesus and Partey replaced Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who took his first Premier League start in Arsenal’s draw with Everton. Trossard also replaced Martinelli, but it was Arteta’s call to substitute Odegaard against Everton with no signs of an injury which shocked Sherwood.
“It’s really surprising for me,” Sherwood told Sky Sports News (14/12, 16:20). “He doesn’t look injured, either. Jorginho and Nwaneri have come on but it’s for Odegaard and Declan Rice. They’re not struggling.
“If I’m Sean Dyche, as soon as I see especially Odegaard come off the pitch I’m thinking, ‘That’s handy. That boy can open us open even though we’re nice and compact’.
“It’s a strange decision. You live and die by your decisions as a manager and that’s a very brave one in my opinion.”
Declan Rice added to Arsenal’s injury woes but Mikel Arteta hooked Martin Odegaard vs Everton
Arteta confirmed in his post-match press conference that he substituted Rice as he asked to be replaced due to an injury the midfielder had been dealing with this week. But Odegaard did not have an injury, and Arteta replaced Arsenal’s captain for fresh ideas against Everton.
Despite Sherwood’s surprise at the decision, Odegaard also did not have that many reasons to question Arteta’s decision to hook him against Everton. The Norwegian could not convert a host of promising chances, with two opportunities especially appealing for a star of his ilk.
Arsenal and Arteta will hope Odegaard shakes off his off-day quickly before playing Crystal Palace twice in four days next week, with the Eagles visiting Emirates Stadium in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday before hosting the Gunners in the Premier League on Saturday.
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