GettyImagesTheo Walcott opens the scoring for Arsenal against Everton

The draw with Everton could turn out to be a good point earned at a tough away ground, however it was a game that brought further frustrations for Arsenal as there is a feeling that it was another game that could have been turned into a win.

- Mangan: Arsenal scrap point but issues remain
- Whalley: Frustration for both sides

The group of clubs around Arsenal in the table are quite tightly packed, with just a few points separating those above and below the Gunners. It means that if Arsenal could convert draws into wins, then the chances are that they would rapidly move up the table towards the top four. With Swansea and West Bromwich Albion, two of the teams around Arsenal in the table, coming to the Emirates in the next two games, there is a real chance to finally inject some pace and momentum into the season. If that happens, the point at Everton will look increasingly important.

One of the best ways to inject pace into the season as a whole is to utilise it more on the pitch. It was no coincidence that Arsenal’s best chance and only goal of the game came from the team attacking at pace. Everton weren’t ready for it and couldn’t keep up with the fast start. Walcott got a bit of luck with the ricochet back to him in the build-up, but his diagonal run stretched the home defence. Ramsey played the pivot role well in the move to set-up the finish for Walcott.

It would have been great to see Arsenal push on from that start and look to try and stretch Everton more as the game went on. The hosts recovered well and made it extremely difficult for Arsenal to build any momentum, however when the Gunners did get the ball, the build-up often seemed too patient, allowing Everton the chance to regroup. The Toffees are well organised defensively at the best of times so it was a shame that Arsenal missed opportunities to punish the few moments that the hosts could have been pulled about at the back.

It’s easy to focus on Theo Walcott to be the pace outlet, but the quickening of the attacks isn’t just about having someone to run at the defence. The passing needs to be crisper and other attackers need to get their head up faster when choosing where to pass the ball. There were too many occasions last night, and have been during the season as a whole, where the players delayed a pass and any momentum in an attack was lost.

I’m not suggesting that Arsenal should be attacking at break-neck speed every time they get the ball. It’s about choosing the right moments to be more patient in the build-up and when to pick up the pace. If Arsenal get more of those decisions right, they’ll create more chances. When the decisions have been right, Arsenal have looked extremely dangerous.

It’s worth noting from the Everton game that whilst the attacking can still be improved upon, the defensive performance was good. The frustrating individual errors that leave the defence stretched still need to eliminated, but the back four looked like more of a unit. Thomas Vermaelen in particular was more like his old self, and Kieran Gibbs slotted smoothly into the side when called upon early from the bench.

The draws are frustrating, but the defensive side of the team is improving again. I feared Arsenal could have been overwhelmed by Everton’s varied styles of attacks. Although he scored, Marouane Fellaini didn’t dominate Arsenal in the air and the team scrapped hard in defence to make sure they didn’t lose.

Arsenal just need to get the balance of pace and patience right when attacking and the season should start accelerating. If that happens, the point at Everton will look like a hard earned one that laid the foundations for improvement. If not, then it’ll be another frustrating game when a draw wasn’t turned into three points.

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