The young Gunners fought bravely throughout the game against a cynical Everton side. Adebayor scored from a corner late on to seal the victory.
What Arsenal Need: The young Gunners need to stand up to the rough tactics that are obviously on the way from Everton.
They certainly stood up to the Everton rough tactics although Denilson was kicked about so much that he was substituted with an injury after 70 minutes.
Things To Watch Out For: The players I'm most looking forward to seeing are Denilson and Traore, both players are still young but as Arsene says "If they are good enough, they are old enough".
By all accounts both players performed well, looking more mature than their ages would suggest.
Hopes For The Match: I'd like to see Merida get some playing time as he seems quite an exciting player. I hope that Aliadiere continues his recent form and that Walcott can put in a solid display.
Merida was an unused substitute. Aliadiere was the better of the two strikers, although Adebayor scored the goal. Walcott put in a lot of work on the wing but hs final ball was lacking at times.
My team selection for this game:
Adebayor, Aliadiere
Walcott, Denilson, Song, Flamini
Traore, Senderos, Djourou, Eboue
Almunia
Subs: Poom, Connolly, Randall, Merida, Garry
The 16 man squad listed above was published on Arsenal.com.
Long-term issues: Baptista and Ljungberg are still unhealthy and so neither will feature in this game. I hope to see them back soon.
Prediction: Everton 1 Arsenal 1
Arsenal win on penalties
Score: Everton 0 Arsenal 1
