Bragging rights are one thing, but these two great rivals are not exactly firing on all cylinders just yet. We take a look at why that is.
While Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Premier league so far, they have managed to lose in the Capital One Cup and Champions League in recent weeks and some of their draws have been very disappointing. Spurs too have been up and down, as Mauricio Pochettino looks for a settled, winning formula.
Before the big game at the Emirates, we look at the biggest headaches faced by both managers before kick-off.
Arsenal
Midfield defensive cover
There is no doubting that Arsenal have enough attacking quality to blitz Tottenham, or any other team in the league on their day, but the issue of Wenger’s failure to sign a destroyer in midfield was highlighted again recently.
Arsenal hammered a virus-ravaged Aston Villa side last weekend but there remains question marks over the Gunners..
Going forward they’re a joy to behold at times, cutting open Man City with ease , but they also finished that game defending for their lives while Dortmund absolutely tore them to pieces in Germany.
It seems that Wenger has six gifted players for four attacking positions but he is still short when it comes to finding players that can protect his back four.
Arteta can read the game well and make interceptions but when paired with Jack Wilshere or Aaron Ramsey it seems like they lack defensive cohesion. The one player who can tackle, Mathieu Flamini, has looked woefully short of form while Ramsey also looks to be breathing very heavily at times.
If the gifted but defensively negligent Mesut Ozil plays wide left then Kieran Gibbs or Nacho Monreal can expect a tough test from a rampaging full-back looking to exploit space.
Against inferior teams this doesn’t become an issue because the Gunners will dominate possession but against better teams, like Dortmund and Spurs, this lack of defensive midfield cover can become more visible.
Spurs
Settled back four
Mauricio Pochettino has made a mixed start to life at White Hart Lane but the early season optimism that followed their wins against West Ham and QPR has quickly gone away, Spurs haven’t won any of their last 3 league matches.
Part of the reason for this has been the fact that the new manager hasn’t had a settled back-four at his disposal, despite the Argentinian signing Ben Davies, Eric Dier and Federico Fazio to boost his defensive options.
Dier has been the only regular feature so far, playing out of position at right-back due to Kyle Walker’s long-term injury.
Kyle Naughton, Younes Kaboul, Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen and Vlad Chiriches have all featured as well but it seems like the new manager is still trying to find the right mix in defence.
Their defensive frailties were ruthlessly exploited by Liverpool and Raheem Sterling in the Reds’ 3-0 win and these issues were exacerbated by Sunderland’s comeback last weekend.
Going to the Emirates, to face a free scoring Arsenal, is not the ideal location to be testing a new defensive unit. We expect Pochettino and Spurs to be doing a lot of work on the training ground this week. Even still that might not be enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRsPryufWtc
Clip via – FootBall Review HD
