MATCH PREVIEW: Arsenal vs Spurs
A mouth-watering fixture with high magnitude on every occasion, the battle for North London supremacy is always hotly contested, and after Arsenal’s champions league hopes were thumped at Tottenham in May, they’ll be seeking revenge.
Not to mention the location of both teams in the League table - 1st and joint 2nd, and it’s irrelevant of whether we’re in October or May, the bragging rights of this fixture means along with league position gives one team a huge boost of confidence for the rest of the season.
Tottenham’s record at the Emirates is nothing short of awful, with the last win in the Premier League coming in 2010. A whole 12 years of draws and defeats. It’s vital that this changes, and despite finishing above Arsenal since 2017, that win at the Emirates hasn’t come.The last thing that any Spurs fan would care to admit is that Arsenal have looked impressive at the start of this season, but it can be conceded that they’ve looked good, and have plenty of players that can threaten us. Bukayo Saka may not have found form yet but the derby is guaranteed to lift him. William Saliba has looked assured in Arsenal’s young back line, and Gabriel Martinelli has extracted his potential onto the pitch. It’s vital that Spurs neutralise this, and the shape of the team remains consistent to limit the chances.
The question begs of whether a 5-3-2 formation or a 5-2-3 formation is to be proposed by Conte. There’s a strong debate to both systems, both with positives and negatives, but expecting to dominate the game away, in the local derby is a tall order, and mitigating Arsenal’s threat may be most effective with a three-man-midfield of Bentancur, Hojbjerg and Bissouma.
Although Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son would be short of options up front, the shear quality of both of them would be enough to force Arsenal into adapting their system, and focusing on a deeper approach, where Kane and Son can’t exploit space in behind, as he did against Leicester on three occasions. If Arsenal play similarly to the performance at Old Trafford, there’s a realistic possibility of Spurs scoring a few.
The focus on being aggressive in midfield will be important, with standing off being a recipe for failure. The creative-minded Ødegaard relies on space, and if those pockets are simply closed off, the Conte counter-attacking game can thrive.
Predicted Tottenham Lineup (5-3-2):
Hugo Lloris, Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet, Ivan Perisic, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son
Tottenham have got to remain focused at the Emirates, and show character and personality, and potentially overcome adversity on Saturday. This game always comes as one of the toughest to win on the calendar, and Spurs have to show their class to have a chance.
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