Just months ago, everything was good and everybody were optimistic at Goodison Park. The Toffies missed out the European football again, but they had coach Carlo Ancelotti and the owner Farhad Moshiri made significant investment for the last five years, ensuring that Everton finally becomes competitive. And then Zinedine Zidane decided to leave Real, Florentino Perez called his old coach and all of a sudden, the fans looked in horror as their former rival and Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez was holding a blue scarf, after he signed a three year deal.This has never been more important or relevant.▶️Make the management changes necessary▶️Communicate through official channels▶️Engage, meet & discuss with fans▶️Reverse the club’s decline#27minutesfor27years pic.twitter.com/qtR81zT8Rp— the esk (@theesk) December 5, 2021 To make things worse, after years of investment (around 74 billion Ksh in five years), the Spaniard wasn’t given any money for new players, so he spent only 300 million Ksh on Demarai Gray from Bayer, while Townsend and Rondon came as free agents. A total collapse followed, and Everton is currently in 16th place, just five points above the relegation zone. Out of the last 10 games and potential 30 points, the Toffies collected only 5, and injuries to key players didn’t help either.As a result, a mass walkout has been planned for the Arsenal’s visit. Angry fans have decided to show their anger at the owner Moshiri, lack of recruitment and investment, and a series of bad results. The fans have chosen to leave the stadium in the 27th minute, as they want to remind the club owners that next May it will be the 27th anniversary of Everton’s last trophy, the 1995 FA Cup. It is the longest post-war period they have gone without silverware.“The reality is that the table doesn’t lie but at the same time win one game and you could be in the top eight. I think the fans appreciate that. I am convinced we will do well. I want us to do well and I am really frustrated when we don’t do that. I understand the frustrations of the fans. The only thing that I can do is make sure we make the right decisions” said Rafa Benitez, who is still sore after a 4-1 home loss to Liverpool.Babel opens up on a weird relationship with his “big uncle” Benitez at AnfieldAnd it’s not gonna be easier tonight, as he expects a hostile home atmosphere and an Arsenal team who knows how to win against weak opposition. The Gunners have lost to Manchester United last week, as well as Liverpool three weeks earlier, but Mikel Arteta’s men won against Newcastle, Watford, Leicester and Aston Villa in the Premier League, and with tonight’s three points, they can skip over Manchester on the table. But he will need help from his skipper Aubameyang, who is a shadow of his former self at the moment. The Gabon striker has only picked up four goals in 13 Premier League appearances this season, and maybe a poor Everton side will do him good for the self-confidence. Ahead of the match, Arteta denied that he had a rift with Auba, after he was substituted during the match with Manchester, in a moment when Arsenal was trailing 3-2.“I can guarantee you that there is not a rift. What I can tell you is I have the relationship I want with him. When I make decisions with 15, 20, 30 minutes left, or in the line-up at the start, it is done with one intention and that is to get the best out of the team” said Arteta.’Quality, ability, talent, spirit, commitment. I’m not arrogant but I think we simply had everything!’Everton won both Premier League games against Arsenal last season. They have not won three in a row against the Gunners in league competition since April 1986. Arsenal have scored 111 Premier League goals against Everton, more than they have versus any other side in the competition. Everton have lost six of their last seven Premier League matches and are winless in their last eight. The Toffees have not gone nine without a win since a 12-game run between August and October 1994.PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 15SaturdayWest Ham – Chelsea 3-2 (1-2)/Lanzini 40, Bowen 56, Masuaku 87 – Silva 28, Mount 44/Wolverhampton – Liverpool 0-1 (0-0)/Origi 90+5/Newcastle – Burnley 1-0 (1-0)/Wilson 40/Southampton – Brighton 1-1 (1-0)/Broja 29, Maupay 90+8/Watford – Manchester City 1-3 (0-2)/Hernandez 74 – Sterling 4, Silva 31, 63/SundayMan.Utd. – Crystal Palace 1-0 (0-0)/Fred 77/Leeds – Brentford 2-2 (1-0)/Roberts 27, Bamford 90+5 – Baptiste 54, Canos 61/Tottenham – Norwich 3-0 (1-0)/Moura 10, Sanchez 67, Son 77/Aston Villa – Leicester 2-1 (1-1)/Konsa 17, 54 – Barnes 14/Monday23:00: (3.60) Everton (3.35) Arsenal (2.20)***odds are subject to change***
