Merlin Rohl was speaking after Everton, who face a big Carabao Cup clash against Newcastle United next week, were beaten 2-0 in the Premier League at Arsenal
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Merlin Rohl of Everton after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Everton at Emirates Stadium on October 24, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Tony McArdle/Eveton FC via Getty Images)
Merlin Rohl claps the Everton supporters after they saw their side lose 2-0 at Arsenal (Image: Tony McArdle/Eveton FC via Getty Images)
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Merlin Rohl believes that versatility could be the key for Everton in their forthcoming matches after he and James Garner finished the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday in the two full-back berths.
Despite the pair both being primarily central midfielders, David Moyes’ lack of options in a squad that contains just 18 outfield players, including solitary options in both full-back positions and striker, has ensured they are having to fill in by playing in other areas to help the team.
The Blues boss had to wait almost 20 months following his return to the club to land a new right-back but with Ainsley Maitland-Niles dropped to the bench against his former team at the Emirates Stadium, Rohl, who operated as a right winger in the previous match against Chelsea, moved into the position where he had operated both in pre-season and the first three games this term, while an injury to Vitalii Mykolenko in the second half saw Garner finish the match on the other side of defence.
Everton return to action on Thursday with a home tie against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, which is the first of three fixtures in the space of seven days, with a Premier League return against the Magpies at St James’ Park the following Monday then a home match against Coventry City on the Friday before the international break.
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Asked how important versatility could be, Rohl said: “I think you will see it now in the next games. You saw today, one player gets subbed out with Myko and you’ve got Jimmy Garner who can play left-back. I think it helps that our midfielders and other players are so versatile, and it will be hugely important for the next games.”
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Everton fell behind against the defending Premier League champions after just seven minutes and Rohl admitted it was a tough assignment. He said: “It’s always quite difficult directly after the game.
“We wanted to win and give them a little bit more of a battle. We did fight with everything we had.
“We defended partly well, but in two crucial situations we couldn’t defend. That changes the game.”
The 24-year-old added: “Of course, an early goal sometimes changes something, but no matter if we concede one goal, it couldn’t change the fact that we tried to get back into the game and get one goal and it’s open again. It’s always possible.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Ezri Konsa of Arsenal scores the first goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Everton at Emirates Stadium on October 24, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Ezri Konsa bundles in Arsenal's opener against Everton (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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“We had one or two actions – not enough – but a few chances or counter-attacks where we had more possibilities. But I think the second goal killed us in a way.”
The early goal for Mikel Arteta’s side also thwarted any Everton attempts to try and dig in. And Rohl said: “It’s always difficult to say against those top teams what exactly the plan is defensively, to sit deeper. Sometimes you’re forced to sit deeper because they’ve got so much quality on the ball.
“We tried our best to keep on pressing and we had one or two actions where we won the ball when we got higher. Generally, they are so good defensively. They’re so well put together and everyone knows exactly their space defensively.
“A team with that quality in the offence and defence is hard to beat. It was a big challenge today and we couldn’t get the win.”
Everton boss David Moyes