Arsene Wenger has had to perform a delicate balancing act with the Arsenal squad, with an FA cup quarter final and a Champions League knockout game in Barcelona before an early kick off in a crucial and difficult Premier League trip to Everton.
It was clear from his team selection tonight that he did have half an eye on Everton and with us having the least possible amount of time to rest and get ready I cannot blame him. But he still played a strong side and I don’t think it was entirely because he felt we could go through, but also that we needed a good performance to build some confidence and find some form for the title run in.
The question is, though, was it enough? Saturday will tell us and we are all hoping to see the sort of Arsenal that was on show at the Nou Camp and not the one that was dumped out of the cup by Watford. There were signs last night that Alexis Sanchez is getting back to his old self and the performances of Welbeck, Iwobi and Elneny were positives.
The defence was not all we hoped but this was the most potent attacking force in the world and we had to take risks and I think the great saves from Ospina will give our defenders a lot of confidence. Will that be enough to inspire us to the win at Goodison that might just lead to a title charge after the international break?