Following Arsenal’s embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich this week in the UEFA Champions League, they will understandably be in low spirits. However, if there is ever a game for the Gunners to bounce back it’s the north London Derby. This fixture is always a spectacle for fans of both sides and neutrals. Spurs have only lost one game all season and are in superb form coming into the fixture. Arsenal, meanwhile, still have a host of first-team players out injured so it looks like Mauricio Pochettino’s side may have the upper hand leading up to the game.
The first man who Arsenal must be wary of is Harry Kane. The Englishman was outstanding last season and was a contender for the golden boot and after a less than impressive start this season, has found his shooting boots again. Kane combines the tireless work rate of an Englishman with excellent finishing. He may not have the best movement or positioning, but he works hard to win the ball and get onto the receiving end of a pass or cross. To counteract Kane, the Arsenal defence must be more committed and organised than they were in Munich earlier this week. The full-backs must not allow themselves to be caught out by the Tottenham wide-players allowing the chance for a ball to be played into Kane. Also, if the Arsenal defence is going to try an offside trap, they need to make sure they do it effectively. Munich’s first goal came from an awfully attempted offside trap. If it fails against Spurs, Kane will no doubt race past and put it in the net.
Another player who has been hugely impressive for Tottenham this season is Eric Dier. The English centre-back has been a revelation since his move from Portugal and is one of the reasons that as a team, Spurs have been more defensively coherent. The young defender is immensely disciplined and as such will be less likely to make defensive errors. Therefore, it will be crucial for Olivier Giroud to play. Dier will hold his defensive shape well, meaning Giroud needs to act as a battering ram; catch Dier off guard with his physical presence, then lay the ball off to another attacker to burst past the young Englishman.
In attack, the Gunners need to be far more committed and interested than they were against Munich. At times, they looked to have switched off, and Giroud’s goal only added to the frustration because it showed that they could have achieved more. Players like Alexis Sanchez and Joel Campbell need to reduce their defensive load slightly and focus on utilising their pace. Quite often the pacey wingers Arsene Wenger has at his disposal are reluctant to open their legs and take on their defender. If they were to be more adventurous in attack, then there is no reason why the Gunners can’t put as many past Spurs as Munich did to them.
Overall, the Gunners come into this game in contrastingly low morale compared to Spurs. A win here would be huge for their confidence and would also keep them at the top of the league, nipping away at Manchester City’s heels. What better way to bounce back from a thrashing than to hand out a thrashing of their own against their biggest rivals?
