Arsenal were good but this Everton is a big mess... their players are spineless and Sam Allardyce has lost his old fire

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With new signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang running riot against Everton at the Emirates Stadium, much of the post-game attention has been given to Arsenal.

But while Arsene Wenger's men were at their very best in the 5-1 victory, their efforts were further helped by an Everton team who turned up completely unprepared for the challenge in front of them.

Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman and Dominic King give their verdicts on where it has all gone wrong for Sam Allardyce... 

Everton took another dive into a dismal season by shipping five goals to Arsenal once again

Big Sam has lost his old fire - Ian Ladyman 

When Everton played Manchester United at home on New Year’s Day, I thought two things were strange.

Sam Allardyce was booed by Everton fans for making a substitution — Wayne Rooney was the player replaced — and the performance of his team was very flat as they lost 2-0.

It was strange because at that time Allardyce’s record as Everton manager was good. He had done what he is good at doing. He had tightened Everton up and made them hard to beat.

But it was a poor performance that day and if early signs of strain between the manager and some supporters of his latest club were noticeable then, what must Everton fans be thinking now?

Sam Allardyce appears to be out of ideas in this late stage of an impressive managerial career

Saturday at the Emirates was dreadful from an Everton point of view, just as their last game in London had been.

That one ended in a 4-0 Wembley defeat by Tottenham. Allardyce’s players looked low on energy, appetite and organisation in both games. I cannot remember saying that about an Allardyce team before.

When Allardyce took the job at Goodison Park in late November at the age of 63, I was unsure about the appointment. Not necessarily from Everton’s point of view, but from his.

He has always operated at his best when fuelled by a sense of purpose and when he has felt he had something to prove. I wonder now just how fiercely that old fire is burning. Simply put, there is no longer anything to prove.

As such, I also wonder just how long this union with Everton will last.

He operates at his best when fuelled by a sense of purpose and has something to prove

Spineless players are a travesty - Dominic King

Spineless. As this most dispiriting season limps towards a miserable conclusion, that is the only word suitable to describe Everton.

This campaign has seen them melt with harrowing frequency and the Emirates Stadium annihilation was the sixth time they have been beaten by four or more goals since September. Inevitably after such results, blame rains down on the dugout.

Sam Allardyce cannot escape criticism. He made too many changes to the team who had beaten Leicester three days earlier, switched the formation and saw Arsenal trample all over his plans in a first half that was so one-sided it bordered on farcical.

When Everton shipped five goals to Arsenal at Goodison Park last October, Ronald Koeman was sacked the following day. After they were pummelled by four at Southampton in November, David Unsworth’s time in caretaker charge was promptly ended. 

New signing Theo Walcott stands as his former side run riot against Everton on Saturday

Many fans want more managerial change. Such are the rumblings of discontent that some are threatening not to return to Goodison Park next year if Allardyce remains in charge.

Yet swinging the axe would not address the overriding issue — too many of this squad are going through the motions, drifting along and have made no attempt to understand what it means to play for Everton.

The minimum requirement when pulling on a royal blue shirt is to fight, work and show you care. The vast majority who started at Arsenal did nothing of the sort. That is a travesty. That is why they are spineless.