Everton vs. Arsenal
Venue: Goodison Park
Kick off: 1:30PM
Arsenal take on Everton at Goodison Park this afternoon with Mikel Arteta as the new manager of the North London outfit.
Despite an otherwise encouraging week under the guidance of interim boss Freddie Ljungberg, it soon became evident against Manchester City that Arsenal needed to bring in a long-term replacement for Unai Emery.
While the appointment of the inexperienced Spaniard has naturally divided opinion, his arrival will be regarded as a fresh start for a team who continue to struggle for any kind of consistency.
Arsenal went into the showdown with City knowing that they could ill afford a poor start, and falling two goals down during the opening quarter effectively ended the game as a contest.
They had their moments during the remainder of a one-sided encounter, but the powers-that-be at the Emirates Stadium were already plotting an approach for Arteta, who was sitting in the opposition dugout.
The 37-year-old will be tasked with improving performances in all areas of the pitch, most notably in defence with clean sheets extremely few and far between.
However, Arteta also needs to establish whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the right man to lead the team on the pitch, despite the Gabon international having only recently replaced Granit Xhaka.
The general consensus is that there will be no quick fix in North London, but that will not stop Arteta from stamping his mark from day one with Arsenal in danger of falling out of contention for the top four before the halfway mark.
While Arsenal’s managerial tinkering has not had its desired effect, the change of voice in the Everton dressing room has worked wonders for a squad which had previously suffered three straight defeats.
After inspiring Everton to a relatively dominant win over Chelsea, Ferguson watched the Toffees secure a share of the spoils at Manchester United last weekend.
On the other hand, Everton were full value for the draw, and the result has put three points between themselves and the relegation zone.
The Merseyside outfit are allegedly at an advanced stage in their bid to bring Ancelotti to the club, although keeping Ferguson in charge for this game may prove to be a blessing in disguise.
The club legend will be targeting a similar performance to the one which got the better Chelsea on December 7, and there is little reason not to expect a full-bloodied performance from the home side this weekend.
This squad will have to come through the disappointment of losing out on penalties to Leicester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, but the manner of their late two-goal comeback was further proof of the mentality change at the club.
While there is the possibility that a third outing in less than a week could take its toll, Everton are gathering momentum ahead of what feels like a make-or-break period under Ancelotti.
There will be an eagerness to impress the Italian on this type of occasion, a factor which may play its part in delivering the perfect parting gift for Ferguson, who will return to his role as assistant next week.
Everton possible XI: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Baines, Bernard, Holgate, Davies, Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.
Arsenal possible XI: Leno, Chambers, Mustafi, Luiz, Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang.