Marcus Rashford takes a free-kick for England.
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Marcus Rashford playing for Manchester United.
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Michael Carrick playing for Manchester United.
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Newcastle United v Everton
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James Garner playing for Everton.
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Harrison Armstrong made one thing so clear to David Moyes in Arsenal 2-0 Everton
Harrison Armstrong playing for Everton.
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But did well – and there’s one thing that simply cannot happen.
How does David Moyes' response to back-to-back defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal make you feel? 🤔 The Everton boss doesn't seem overly upset despite the losses…
100%. Think he probably will do since Moyes has started him the last two rounds. Huge cause for concern if he doesn’t
Will be interesting to see what he does against Newcastle. I honestly just can’t see him starting one of the kids. I’d go Alcaraz I think, scored in last round and I’m not sure there’d be much of a drop-off, if any
Hear me out, if the Rashy deal doesnt go through, we should aim to target a 23 and under player with 50+ games ubder their belt, and I think if the Garnacho loan falls through, we should try and pick him up for a cheapish price, hes direct, can cut in and score and hes super technichle, i think thats what we need, and it would be healthy comp for George.
Harrison Armstrong can hold his head high after Everton’s defeat to Arsenal as encouraging numbers emerge
Everton were comfortably beaten by Arsenal, who will surely challenge for the league title again this season.
They just had so much control, especially in midfield. But despite this, Armstrong battled really well in the middle and can hold his head high despite ending up on the losing team.
As per Sofascore data, Armstrong completed 30/34 (88%) passes, and had 55 touches of the ball in the game, with only three of his teammates having more.
But it was his defensive work that was the most eye-catching aspect of his performance. He executed 10 defensive actions in total, with only Jake O’Brien and Gabriel having more in the game. Five of these actions were tackles. He actually also won eight of the 10 duels he contested.
He was also tireless in what was a difficult game, covering 12.6km. This was actually higher than the average distance per 90 he’s managed so far this season (11.9km).
To have performed like this, at one of the hardest places to go to in the Premier League, against one of the best teams and in horrible conditions, just shows how up for the fight he is and how much he deserves to keep starting games for Everton.
Armstrong a shining light for Everton, he must not be dropped
Of course recently, Christian Norgaard returned to the picture after injury, and made his debut against Chelsea.
There is every chance he could be someone Moyes leans on given his experience and leadership, but what’s vital now is that the manager does not discard Armstrong in favour of the Dane.
Armstrong is bringing vitality and energy to that midfield that is most welcome following the summer exit of Idrissa Gana Gueye. He is also establishing himself as a decent ball-winner.
He simply doesn’t deserve to go back to the bench just to accommodate Norgaard, who is certainly not as energetic or tenacious.
If anyone should be dropping out of the midfield at the moment it’s James Garner, who has sadly been unable to recapture the form that made his stand out so often last season.