Mikel Arteta praise is latest sign of anti-Everton bias as Armando Broja conundrum emerges

Everton return to Premier League action this weekend when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The Blues’ last game against Liverpool was called off due to Storm Darragh.

The decision to call off the game was taken early on Saturday morning after a safety meeting. It will now be rescheduled later in the campaign, but results over the weekend certainly went for Sean Dyche and his side.

The Blues head to the capital on Saturday five points above the drop zone, with a game in hand on the sides below them. And, with this weekend’s game in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say.

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Paul McParlan - Time to deliver in the capital

Looking out of my bedroom window on Saturday morning, it came as no surprise to hear that the derby game had been called off. The safety of fans is paramount, and credit to the club for making an early announcement. Nobody wanted the last Goodison derby to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

The question now is when it will be possible to rearrange this fixture in an incredibly congested schedule, with possible FA Cup runs adding to the lack of available dates. On a personal note, I would prefer this to be a midweek encounter under the lights.

However, if the ludicrously rescheduled Peterborough United game is anything to go by, expect the television companies to go for the most inconvenient time possible for local fans so that they can attract a larger ‘global‘ audience. Don’t be surprised if it is scheduled for 9.30am on a Sunday morning.

Everton’s upcoming run of fixtures does not get any easier. If the Liverpool game had not been postponed, we would have faced teams lying 1st, 2nd and 3rd in successive matches. Everton travel down to London to face Arsenal on Saturday. Our record against the Gunners on their home turf has been abysmal in recent years. We have only won once there since 1996, and that was during the 2020/21 Covid season.

Nevertheless, this might not be the foregone conclusion many assume. Last season, we were desperately unlucky not to win there, eventually losing 2-1 to a last-minute goal by Kai Havertz. Arsenal have played two matches this week, while Everton have not played for over ten days. This has given Sean Dyche plenty of time to prepare his team and organise his tactics. And perhaps the players are still on a high after their 4-0 rout of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Armando Broja will not be allowed to play in next week’s fixture against Chelsea, so perhaps he should be given a start against Arsenal? It might give their defenders an unexpected problem to deal with, especially with Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggling to find the net. Orel Mangala looks to be improving with every game and deserves to be in the side. Whether the same can be said for Abdoulaye Doucoure is debatable. His unerring ability to find an opposition player with a pass is a luxury that Everton cannot afford.

It is also a clash of the set piece kings. Arsenal have scored from eight this season, Everton from six. Strangely, Mikel Arteta is hailed as a footballing tactical genius for this feat, while Sean Dyche is labelled as a footballing dinosaur. And Sean does not even use the services of a specialist set piece coach like Arteta! Is this yet another example of an anti-Everton and their manager bias in the media?

Perhaps the derby postponement might work to our advantage. And who wouldn’t love it if we beat Arsenal with a set piece goal on Saturday?

Daniel Smith - A big month coming up for Sean Dyche

Following the emphatic 4-0 victory over Wolves, it was disappointing that we didn’t get the chance to build on the momentum we built that night against Liverpool at the weekend. However, the correct call was made to postpone the game as the safety of supporters is paramount.

However, what the postponement does is put Sean Dyche in a strange position. Hopefully, the takeover will soon be complete, and The Friedkin Group will become the new owners of Everton Football Club. A changing of the guard cannot come soon enough given what we have had to endure over the last few years.

A takeover would also put Sean Dyche under more pressure than he is already under. A lot of Blues supporters would be in favour of us changing our manager. Some have seen enough - and it is easy to see why.

But, up until the takeover is complete, he is going nowhere. However, what happens when The Friedkin Group takes charge? Are they immediately going to let Dyche go? It is hard to see that happening.

But the pressure will most certainly be on Dyche once the Friedkin’s take control. Which is why this month is huge, but at the same time, it feels incredibly harsh to judge him based on the games we have coming up.

All this is why Dyche finds himself in a very strange position. But there is no doubt that even a point against Arsenal this weekend would ease the pressure on him.