David Moyes is set to address the media at 1.30pm at Finch Farm, where he will preview Everton's Premier League trip to defending champions Arsenal on Saturday. It will be the first time the Everton manager has spoken since his side saw their eight-match unbeaten run to start the season come to an end with a 2-0 home loss to Chelsea.
Substitutes questioned after Chelsea defeat
After a feisty first half in which they matched big-spending Chelsea, Everton's second-half showing left a lot to be desired. Questions were asked afterwards over the manager's use of his substitutes, with Christian Norgaard struggling after coming on for his debut, and Tyler Dibling and, in particular, Hayden Hackney, left on the bench.
Everton will need to perform a lot better when they travel to the Emirates for the showdown with the defending champions. The Blues performed well in last season's corresponding fixture and could count themselves desperately unlucky to go down to a late 2-0 defeat.
Maitland-Niles criticism from Arsenal legend
Ahead of the press conference, Everton reporter Chris Beesley caught up with Arsenal legend Alan Smith, who gave his thoughts on Everton's £4m deadline day signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The England international started his career at Arsenal and will return to the club on Saturday.
Maitland-Niles enjoyed a dream start to his time at Everton with an incredible stoppage-time equaliser against Manchester United, but he has endured a tough couple of games in which he has been culpable for goals. In the 29-year-old's defence, the Blues have not covered themselves in glory in terms of their defending in the 2-2 draw at Hull City and the 2-0 home loss to Chelsea.
Smith, a two-time Golden Boot winner, said: “He’s a really nice footballer, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but I’ve never seen him as a proper defender. With the chances he took and the mistakes that he made the other day against Hull, that shows you. He was like that at Arsenal, a really lovely footballer, but I don’t think he thinks like a defender. So, David Moyes, knowing how he is, will be thinking, oh, are we going to go forward with this?”
Arsenal injury concerns
Everton's squad fitness remains unclear, as Moyes has not spoken since the Chelsea loss, when the Blues had a fully fit squad to choose from. Arsenal, meanwhile, will certainly be without Bukayo Saka after he came off injured in the 2-2 Champions League draw at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Also missing for the Gunners are William Saliba and Christos Tzolis, while Piero Hincapie is rated as doubtful. To most teams in the Premier League, losing the calibre of those four players would spell trouble, but the strength and depth of the squad Mikel Arteta has assembled at the Emirates means they will be able to cope.
