THERE'S NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT,I WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU:'Shocked' Paul Merson predicts Everton showdown v Arsenal after what he saw at the last encounter

Paul Merson would be “shocked” if Everton were to get anything against Arsenal.

The Toffees travel to the Emirates on Saturday [14 December], with Sean Dyche’s team sitting 15th in the Premier League table.

With the postponement of the Liverpool fixture, the Blues have had a break, but Merson worries for them with clashes against Chelsea and Manchester City to come after the trip to North London.

In his Sportskeeda column [11 November], Merson has predicted it will finish 3-1 to the Gunners, writing: “Everton had an unbelievable result in their last game against Wolves, but I’d be shocked if they got anything from this game.

“When I look back to that Everton loss against Manchester United before the win over Wolves, I worry for them. If they defend like that against Arsenal, it’s game over.

“If you’re Everton, you’d be thinking of getting this fixture out of the way quickly and focusing on the next one. But it doesn’t get any easier for them with games against Chelsea and Manchester City to follow. I don’t really expect them to get anything from the next three games if I’m being honest.

“Now they’ve had to have an extended break after that 4-0 win over Wolves, and it won’t do them any good. I expect Arsenal to win this quite comfortably.”

Everton need strong performance v Arsenal

The Toffees started the season dreadfully, losing the opening four games, which led to doubts surrounding Dyche’s future in the Goodison dugout.

After picking up some points in recent weeks, the Blues find themselves safe from the drop for now, although December will be a crucial month.

Dyche has been unable to get the team to perform well, and despite the 4-0 win over Wolves on 4 December, the 53-year-old head coach still hasn’t convinced fans.

Everton have regressed under the Englishman, and while Farhad Moshiri is to blame for many of the issues, the manager hasn’t made a case for himself.

The Goodison faithful don’t expect a win over Arsenal, but the Toffees need to show that they’ve made progress since the 0-0 draw against Brentford on 23 November.

Dyche needs to turn the Blues into a competitive outfit in the upcoming fixtures, and if he isn’t able to do so, Dan Friedkin has a big decision to make once the takeover is officially announced.

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