Everton go to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to try and take points off Premier League champions Arsenal, and the notion of Jack Grealish starting the game is interesting to consider.

Everton face the daunting prospect of taking on the Gunners away from home, after seeing their unbeaten run fall against Chelsea last weekend.

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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Everton celebrates his goal to make it 1-1 during the Premier League match between Hull City and Everton at MKM Stadium in Hull, United Kingdom, on October 11, 2026.

Why Jack Grealish might not suit Arsenal game

Moyes took some stick for his approach against Chelsea last weekend, with some feeling it was overly cautious. But it’s possible that kind of approach could work against Arsenal.

The Gunners have been perfect at home this season and the expectation is that they will dominate the ball on Saturday.

As per StatMuse, Arsenal’s average possession at home so far this season has been 59.1% so Everton are likely to spend large parts of this game out of possession and defending.

Everton’s average possession away from home this season is actually probably higher than most people would expect, at 48% (StatMuse), but realistically we’re going to see Arsenal doing most of the probing.

So Everton have to try and turn the ball over – then, it’s about getting forward quickly. Moyes ideally needs quick players to execute those turnovers, and Jack Grealish isn’t really the kind of player for that kind of plan.

He is fantastic for ball retention and recycling. But this game has the potential to either pass him by, or he could be ineffective with Arsenal so solid.

Arguably, there is more reason for Everton to start with Tyrique George on the left side given his pace. And as underwhelming as he’s been since he arrived, Brennan Johnson does actually quite suit this and might be the best bet to play on the right.

As per Fotmob, Johnson (34.3 km/h) and George (34.2 km/h) rank third and fourth respectively in terms of Everton’s fastest players, behind Thierno Barry (35.5 km/h) and Merlin Rohl (34.9 km/h).

Once Everton win the ball back, the objective should be to get the ball forward as quickly as possible and counter. A front three of Barry, Johnson and George would be great for this.

Grealish has done OK so far this term since returning for a second loan spell. But this is arguably just not a game that is suited to what he brings.

But we know that Moyes has made some questionable selection decisions so far this term, and the manager has started Grealish in each of the last four games across all competitions. He will no doubt want to stick with him again given his experience, and Grealish’s famous foul-winning ability might be something Moyes wants to kill Arsenal’s momentum.