Teams With Similar Fortune Clash In Merseyside

Two of the English Premier League sides who are in the process of hiring a new manager, Everton and Arsenal will go head to head in the League on Saturday in a match which will show which of the two sides that have been faring well without a manager.

Everton sacked former manager Marco Silva on December 5 after a 5-2 defeat to Liverpool on Matchday 15 of the league after spending 18 months at the club. The Toffees have been managed since then on a temporary basis by Duncan Ferguson,although former Champions League winner and ex-Napoli Manager Carlo Ancelloti named as the favourite to take up the role at Merseyside.

The Gunners also sacked Unai Emery after the Spaniard had only spent 18 months at the club. His sacking came on November 29 after Arsenal’s torrid run of form which had a 7-game winless run and a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. The Emirates side has been linked with a lot of potential managers including Mikel Arteta, Carlo Ancelloti, Max Allegri, Mauricio Pochettino and Nuno Espirito Santo while temporary handler Freddie Ljungberg is also being considered.

Both sides have had similar fortunes during this period with the Toffees recording a win a draw in their last five games while the Gunners have a win, and two draws losing the other two in their last five. Everton sits delicately close to the drop zone with just three points away from the last relegation spot in sixteen while Arsenal are in tenth with 22 points from seventeen games.

While Arsenal lost to Champions Manchester City 3-0 at the Emirates on Sunday with Kevin De Bruyne scoring twice and another from Raheem Sterling, Everton on their own part drew away at the Old Trafford against Manchester United 1-1 with Mason Greenwood cancelling Mason Greenwood’s own goal in the first half.

Written by: Idowu Danel Ademiju