Arsenal’s away form a concern for FPL managers ahead of season run-in

The only Premier League match to take place on Sunday saw Everton deservedly beat Arsenal at Goodison Park.

Marco Silva’s side, who only play once in Gameweek 35, continued their fine run of form and registered their fifth clean sheet in six matches but the Gunners again produced a limp performance away from home – which, as we’ll discuss below, is something of a worry going into the final month of the season.

Everton 1-0 Arsenal

• Goals: Phil Jagielka (£4.3m)
• Assists: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m)

Arsenal’s familiar failings away from home were in evidence at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Gunners’ shot count in the first half (one) was the lowest in almost three years as Everton bossed the opening exchanges and took a 1-0 lead into the interval.

The half-time introduction of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m) and Aaron Ramsey (£7.1m), coupled with a change of shape from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-2-3-1, sparked a brief period of possession and pressure but clear-cut chances were thin on the ground and the Toffees looked more likely to add to their lead than concede an equaliser as the game wore on.

Unai Emery’s side have won only one of their last nine away fixtures (against bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield Town) and are the only top-flight club not to keep a clean sheet on their travels in 2018/19.

Given that four of Arsenal’s remaining six fixtures are on the road, including one of their Double Gameweek 35 matches, there will be understandable misgivings about their FPL assets for the season run-in.

We wrote last Monday that Fantasy managers would have learned little from Arsenal’s procession to victory over Newcastle on home soil, such has been the consistency of the Gunners’ display and results at the Emirates.

Two enticing home matches (against Palace in Gameweek 35 and Brighton in Gameweek 37) still remain but away fixtures against in-form mid-table sides Wolves, Watford and Leicester, plus a trip to Turf Moor, dent Arsenal assets’ appeal a little.

There is also the matter of potential rotation around the Europa League to contend with.

Arsenal only had seven shots across the 90 minutes on Merseyside (compared to Everton’s 23), with Ramsey coming closest to finding the back of the net when he was unable to steer a shot on target following a poor Jordan Pickford (£4.9m) punch.

Ramsey was a bright spark for the visitors in the opening exchanges of the second half, registering three shots within six minutes, but Aubameyang barely got a sniff as he switched between the right and left flanks in Emery’s 4-2-3-1.

The Gabonese forward has now been named as a substitute in four of the Gunners’ last six league matches – obviously not the rate of starts we should expect from a premium FPL forward.

Alexandre Lacazette (£9.4m) battled manfully, hitting the turf on three occasions in the first half, but a tame header from a lofted Sokratis (£5.1m) pass was his only attempt on goal in the entire match.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan‘s (£6.8m) influence waned after a bright start, while it will be no shock to many that an away match largely passed Mesut Ozil (£7.9m) by again.

Arsenal’s defence were again badly exposed, particularly in the second half as they attempted to claw their way back in the game.

Since January 2018, the Gunners have kept only one clean sheet on their travels – away at Huddersfield in Arsene Wenger’s final game in charge.

Sead Kolasinac (£5.0m) was hooked at half-time as Emery changed to a back four, which may be off-putting for those Fantasy managers considering drafting the wing-back into their squads for Double Gameweek 35.

In the last two matches that Emery has started with a 4-2-3-1 (Spurs and Rennes away), and in the second half of this defeat, Kolasinac has been benched in favour of Nacho Monreal (£5.4m) at left-back.

Emery voiced concerns about both formations after full-time:

In the first half, we were consistent and we didn’t concede good chances to them, but they scored from one throw-in, unfortunately for us. In the attacking third, we really needed more. We couldn’t continue like that in the second half. We needed to take chances in the attacking half.

In the second half, we decided to change and play with a 4-2-3-1. Defensively, we lost consistency in the second half. They created more chances in the second half. We created better chances than in the first, but we couldn’t score and they also didn’t. We need this balance in the first and second half, we need to do it better offensively and defensively with the balance.

Sokratis picked up his tenth booking of the season and will be suspended for Arsenal’s next two league fixtures, although Lucas Torreira (£4.7m) will return to the Gunners’ overrun midfield in Gameweek 34 after serving a three-game ban.

Granit Xhaka (£5.2m) and Laurent Koscielny (£5.4m) missed out through injury, with Emery saying of his sidelined pair:

Maybe Laurent could’ve come back to play today but yesterday we knew it wasn’t possible. I want to be positive for Thursday but it depends how he’s progressing. Xhaka is the same. They are doubts for Thursday.

Emery also explained why Ramsey, a minor injury doubt for this game with a groin strain, was only on the bench:

He was better and it was his idea to play but we spoke with the doctor and we had a doubt over him playing 90 minutes. We decided for him not to start, then after we needed him to come on.

We wrote in yesterday’s Scout Notes that owners of Leicester assets may face a difficult decision over what to do with their players given that the Foxes don’t have a Double Gameweek 35 but are otherwise in excellent form.

Owners of Everton’s assets may also be reluctant to part with their players, at least until after their Gameweek 34 meeting with a defensively suspect Fulham side has been and gone.

The Toffees’ unlikely match-winner was Phil Jagielka (£4.3m) but Everton’s two most-owned attacking options, Gylfi Sigurdsson (£7.3m) and Richarlison (£6.5m), could each have found the back of the net on another day.

Sigurdsson registered four key passes and seven shots in total (five admittedly from outside the box) and both he and Richarlison were presented with a big chance in the second half.

The Icelandic midfielder could only steer Richarlison’s pinpoint cross into the arms of Bernd Leno (£4.8m) on 71 minutes, while the former Watford winger shanked an effort off target two minutes later when Sigurdsson’s blocked effort fell kindly into his path.

Those two players bossed on the underlying stats front but Bernard (£5.9m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m) were arguably Everton’s two best performers, with the Brazilian’s work ethic and exquisite touches on the ball earning him a standing ovation on his departure.

Two shots and one key pass underlines why he is not quite the appealing Fantasy option that Richarlison and Sigurdsson are, however, although he should have doubled Everton’s lead when wasting a big chance created by substitute Theo Walcott (£5.9m) late on.

Calvert-Lewin started his sixth successive league match and is now the leading points scorer among FPL forwards under £5.5m this season.

The striker registered an assist for Jagielka’s winner when his blocked header fell at the feet of the veteran defender and his presence up front created plenty of problems for Arsenal’s backline, as well as multiple openings for the midfielders around him.

Everton are the form Premier League team from a defensive perspective and not even a late change at centre-half – an ill Michael Keane (£4.8m) making way for Jagielka just before kick-off – had much of an impact.

Lucas Digne (£5.2m) registered two bonus points to go with his clean sheet, while Seamus Coleman (£5.2m) – who linked up well with Richarlison down the Everton right – is now the leading points-scorer among FPL defenders over the last six Gameweeks.

Silva said of his side’s defensive efforts:

The clean sheet was the key for us. We are showing the solidity I really like, even when we are playing as the offensive team I want to see.

Jags showed how he is prepared to give everything the coach and his teammates need from him. He deserves all the credit and it was great for him to get the winning goal.

Arsenal reacted in the first 15 minutes after half-time and created some problems for us – but they had no big chances.

In two months [December and January] the details were making the difference against us. But the long break [the 17 days before Cardiff away] enabled us to work hard on the training ground and turn the details in our favour.

Our goalkeeper had calm afternoons against West Ham and Arsenal – that is a fantastic sign for us as a team.

Everton XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Jagielka, Zouma, Digne; Gomes (Davies 90′), Gueye; Richarlison (Walcott 79′), Sigurdsson, Bernard (Lookman 88′); Calvert-Lewin.

Arsenal XI (3-4-2-1): Leno; Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Guendozi, Elneny (Ramsey 46′), Kolasinac (Aubameyang 46′); Ozil (Iwobi 74′), Mkhitaryan; Lacazette.