“Enough of this”, “Going to be a long night” – Fans feel Arsenal star could struggle after being named in line-up to face Everton
Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to bemoan the selection of newly-signed Jorginho over Thomas Partey against Everton at the Emirates Stadium later today (March 1).
Arsenal have enjoyed a successful season so far under manager Mikel Arteta. They have exceeded all expectations and are currently at the top of the Premier League with 57 points. A victory against the Toffees tonight would see them hold a comfortable five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City.
Sean Dyche's Everton are in a relegation battle and will have to be at their very best to salvage any points from this game. They currently languish in 18th place. They have won just one of their last 26 away games against Arsenal in the Premier League, having drawn four and lost 21.
The Gunners remain unchanged from their 1-0 victory against Leicester City last week. Aaron Ramsdale starts in goal. Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Oleksandr Zinchenko make up the back four.
The midfield trio of Granit Xhaka, Jorginho, and skipper Martin Odegaard make the cut. The Italian international has been preferred to Partey, who has just recovered from an injury.
The front three consists of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Leandro Trossard, with the latter being preferred to Eddie Nketiah once again.
𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
We're unchanged from Leicester City 👊
COME ON YOU GUNNERS! https://t.co/NeYnYJMaHN
Despite his heroics in extra-time against Aston Villa a few weeks ago, fans have reacted on Twitter to convey their dismay over the selection of Jorginho.
Many felt Partey would have been better suited for this game, considering the physicality of Everton's midfield:
@Arsenal Onana, Gueye and Doucoure against Jorginho😭😭😭 it’s going to be a long night Gunners
@Arsenal A physical game. 🤦♂️🤦♂️ should be partey
@Arsenal Why jorjinho?
Partey is ready
Onana vs J5 on the transition https://t.co/46ADj0VDLt twitter.com/arsenal/status…
Jorginho xhaka odegaard midfield vs doucoure onana and gueye😭😭😭 twitter.com/arsenal/status… https://t.co/qgYcb7zM9P
jorginho amidst them everton thugs twitter.com/Arsenal/status… https://t.co/B87gdCXiRN
Man, if Partey is fit get him into the team... enough of this J20 nonsense! twitter.com/Arsenal/status…
Jorginho has been a solid signing for Arsenal so far, having joined from Chelsea in January. Arsenal fans will be hoping Arteta's selection pays off tonight.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta explains why he has no plans of rushing Thomas Partey back into the starting XI
Some Arsenal fans are disappointed to see Thomas Partey on the bench against Everton. However, it should come as no surprise following Mikel Arteta's pre-match press conference.
He stressed the need for the Gunners to be unpredictable:
“We assess that situation every single day. The fact [is] we have options now - we have players coming back from injury giving us alternatives, which is going to be crucial. Players can’t maintain the same level for 10 months - it’s just impossible.
He added:
“We need to change and we have to generate alternatives and be more unpredictable for opponents sometimes as well. We have those options now.”
Partey has recently recovered from a muscle injury and Arteta revealed he has no plans of rushing the Ghana international back:
“He hasn’t trained much. He had a session and he will train today. It is what it is. He was out for a few weeks and he needs to get back into the rhythm.”
Partey has made 24 appearances across competitions this season, scoring two goals.