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Walcott commended Everton's left winger, Iliman Ndiaye, for his solid defensive display, claiming the Senegalese international "won the battle" against Saka.
Theo Walcott, who has played for both Arsenal and Everton during his career, singled out Bukayo Saka for a subpar performance in Arsenal's 0-0 draw against Everton on Saturday.
Despite Arsenal's dominance in possession (77%) and numerous goal attempts (13 shots), they couldn't find a way past Everton's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
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Walcott praised Everton's left winger, Iliman Ndiaye, for his strong defensive performance, asserting that the Senegalese international "won the battle" against Saka.
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The goalless draw with Everton marked the third consecutive league game in which Saka failed to score or provide an assist this season.
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What Walcott said
Speaking on Match of the Day, Walcott said: "Ndiaye started to enjoy defending, which is a bit of a rarity. He won the battle with Saka."
Analysing a specific clip of Ndiaye defending against Saka, Walcott added, "Ndiaye, this is 30 minutes in, he already looks tired after working so hard."
Walcott also commended Everton's collective defensive effort, which contributed to Pickford keeping his sixth clean sheet of the season, putting him joint-top among Premier League goalkeepers.
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He said, "[Everton] were sharing jobs at times. If Ndiaye wasn’t there, Abdoulaye Doucoure would help him out. If Doucoure wasn’t there, Idrissa Gueye would come out, just to allow the other players to get their breath back."
Walcott further explained how Everton's wingers, including Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison, consistently tracked back to defend against their Arsenal counterparts.
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"But when they got defeated, their mate Ashley Young would help them out. Goals from open play is the issue for Arsenal this season" Walcott noted.
The draw meant Arsenal missed an opportunity to capitalise on Liverpool's dropped points in their 2-2 draw with Fulham.
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