It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for Arsenal. Having suffered a 3-1 defeat to Premier League pace-setters Manchester City before the international break, the Gunners are now gearing up to face bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur – the north London derby representing one of the most important fixtures on their calendar.
Spurs boast a higher standing in the Premier League table and better form, winning five of their last six, heading into Saturday’s early kickoff. So in order to ensure victory over the Lilywhites, Arsene Wenger must find the right answers to these four crucial questions…
Are Arsenal playing into Tottenham’s hands?
Wenger has never been one for showing a lack of ambition at home, but considering how Tottenham have set up for the big games this season – not to mention the fact they’ve claimed 12 points from a possible 15 on the road – Arsenal’s usual game-plan of retaining possession in hope of slowly breaking down the opposition would surely play straight into their hands.
The Lilywhites took less than 40% possession against Real Madrid, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund yet still came away with a combined ten goals from all three games (and three wins) and Harry Kane has proved particularly deadly on the break throughout 2017/18. In contrast, Manchester United allowed Tottenham more of the ball at Old Trafford a few weeks ago and eventually snatched a huge 1-0 win.
With that in mind, a more measured approach appears to be in order for Saturday, but how best to put the handbreak on remains for Wenger to decide.
Should Arsenal opt for quality or energy up front?
It’s no coincidence that the only point the Gunners have claimed against top six rivals this season came in the absence of their two biggest talents on paper – Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil – who both missed the away draw at Stamford Bridge earlier.
Instead, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi performed an exceptional job of harrying Chelsea’s back three, refusing to let them build from defence, and that pressure off the ball eventually told in the form of a valuable away point for Wenger’s side.
With Welbeck seemingly fit after a lengthy injury layoff, the resulting question is what Wenger desires most from his forwards this weekend against a Tottenham side that set up similarly to the Blues – the quality of Sanchez and Ozil, or the sheer industriousness of Welbeck and Iwobi.
Perhaps there’s a balance to be found between the four, alongside Alexandre Lacazette who looks set to lead the line, but Wenger’s picks will emphasise what he’s expecting from the rest of the team.
What can Arsenal do to protect the flanks?
Marauding full-backs have always been a defining feature of Mauricio Pochettino’s philosophy, to the extent that the likes of Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose now line up as wing-backs, and the statistics highlight how influential those players are on Tottenham’s results. 60% of Tottenham’s Premier League assists have come from the wing-backs this season, while they average the most crosses per match of any Premier League side and 73% of their attacking play has come down the flanks.
Of course, Spurs’ most dangerous players usually occupy more central areas – namely Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen – but if Arsenal can limit the supply out wide, that will inevitably affect the trio’s chances of impacting the match. That could require a slight change in formation to more of a 5-4-1, where the wide forwards line up ten yards deeper to provide added cover in wide areas.
The other, more daring option is ensuring Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac give Tottenham’s wide men too much to think about at the other end, keeping them pinned back by continuously pushing forward. That’s a very dangerous game, though.
What can be learned from Tottenham’s other away visits to the top six?
For all of the praise Mauricio Pochettino has received since taking the Tottenham hot seat, there’s still one notable weakness the Argentine is yet to truly address – results on the road against the rest of the top six.
The Lilywhites have already been humbled at Old Trafford this season and last term saw them pick up just two points away from home against United, Liverpool, City, Chelsea and Arsenal. The pattern is too substantial to be considered a coincidence and there must be something for the Gunners to learn from Tottenham’s last six away encounters with those sides which can be used in Saturday’s game.
It could be something as simple as targeting a key player or overloading a certain department to disrupt the rhythm of their game.
