The Ox returned to the starting line up for the first time in nearly two months, and didn’t take long to let the Gunners faithful know he was back.
It was a cagey match throughout for Arsenal as they faced an Everton side who are now amongst the danger zone, sitting just six points above the bottom three.
The Englishman turned from goal scorer to playmaker this afternoon, after netting against Monaco in mid-week. Fresh Arsenal takes a closer look at how Chamberlain performed and provides the evidence to back up Wenger’s choice to utilise the midfielder today.
WhoScored Rating – 8.39
The 21 year-old played just ahead of defensive midfielder, Francis Coquelin, in a role that allowed him to wonder into creative positions. After completing seven successful dribbles, the Englishman stood as the most influential player on the pitch when using his unique ability of strength and pace.
The midfielder picked up 59 of Arsenals 607 touches throughout the 82 minutes he played, although failed to make any shots, which is perhaps evidence of Wenger playing him slightly more defensive. His heat map is proof of just how much of the pitch he covered, which shows the variety in his game, which is helped by the outlet of having Coquelin sat at the back to cover.
Standing as one of the strongest choices for man of the match, Ox switched around with Santi for periods of the game to hand a more attacking outlet on the right hand side. His pass success rate was an impressive 79%, with 26 of his passes key in the build-up to the corner that resulted in Giroud’s opener.
He certainly looks like a player that is back in the mix of things, and I think Wenger has utilised him in training to get him ready for the mental battle he will face when competing for a place in this side. There is certainly time to make this season a good one for the Ox, and his mix of both defensive and attacking ability is what makes him stand out over Wilshere or Flamini.