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Arsenal top six rival analysis: Man United, Tottenham, West Ham, Leicester & more
6. Everton
It all started so well for Everton. Winning four of their opening six Premier League matches with some fine form from new signings Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend, the wheels have since come off for Rafa Benitez following the loss of Dominic Calvert-Lewin to injury.
The England striker carried his form over from the previous campaign but since being missing, his backup, Salomon Rondon, has hardly inspired.
Playing a very direct and unappealing brand of football under the Spaniard, teams who try to play through Everton have far more joy than those who aim to beat them in the air. Dominant in that department, a constantly changing backline is doing them no favours and the usual structure and discipline of a Benitez side has been missing.
As far as challenging for the top six places, of all the sides supposedly competing with Arsenal it is Everton who are least likely to pose a meaningful threat. In terms of overall quality they’re the weakest of those challenging.
While Aston Villa probably would have got a mention, Dean Smith is struggling to deal with the loss of Jack Grealish as his new arrivals are yet to click as a unit. Not in a great way, it would be surprising to see them in the mix come the end of the season.
Continued…