Takehiro Tomiyasu has now explained the ‘biggest’ lesson Everton gave Arsenal in their 1-0 loss at Goodison Park. The Gunners will try to put their lesson into action this Wednesday.
Everton edged Mikel Arteta’s side on Merseyside on February 4 in Sean Dyche’s first match in charge. James Tarkowski met Dwight McNeil’s corner at the back post to head home the only goal. The defender beat Martin Odegaard to bag their first win in nine league fixtures.
Dyche’s team have beaten Leeds United 1-0 in between 2-0 defeats to Liverpool and Aston Villa since edging the Gunners. Arsenal, meanwhile, hit a slump after losing at Everton with the controversial 1-1 draw against Brentford before losing 3-1 at home to Manchester City.
Arsenal bounced back with a 4-2 win at Aston Villa and a 1-0 win at Leicester City ahead of hosting Everton. The north London natives can now go five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table. Wednesday’s meeting marks the Gunners’ game in hand at the top.
Everton, on the other hand, travel to the capital sitting 18th in the table. They sit inside the drop zone by a point to Leeds on even matches played. While just West Ham United, Leeds and Nottingham Forest have taken fewer points away from home on six to Everton’s seven.
Tomiyasu now explains Arteta’s admission after Arsenal lost at Everton
Arsenal endured a frustrating afternoon at Everton in their 1-0 loss last month. The Toffees produced the better of the shots but could not take advantage of the chances the Gunners afforded. While Arteta’s squad failed to build much rhythm having often been second best.
For Tomiyasu, Arsenal’s ‘biggest’ issue at Everton was that they covered less distance than the Toffees. The Japan defender has now explained that Arteta let his team know as much after the loss. He has also stated the main areas where they must improve on Wednesday.
“We learned a lot of things,” Tomiyasu has now told the Arsenal website. “The biggest one was we ran less than them. After the game, Mikel told us we had to run extra hard.
“So, first of all, we have to run more than them. Then we have to compete and we have to focus on the basics.”
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