Full Steam Ahead for an Unprecedented Derby…..

Morning all.

The season resumes at The Emirates on Saturday in the North London Derby.

The league campaign kicks off again at The Emirates on Saturday after a strange international break, and it couldn’t resume with a better fixture. Unprecedented is one of the hundreds of words that is overused when writing about or discussing the beautiful game, but in this case, it is very much warranted. We are a quarter of the way into the campaign and not only are the Gunners sat proudly on top of the table, but our North London neighbours are up there amongst us as well. As said, unprecedented.

There is something else, besides geography and their lofty league position that both teams going into Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off. Mikel Arteta and Conte have steadily gone about building a squad and a team that is based around hard work and a strong team ethic, where the individual is secondary to the whole. There won’t be any players in either squad likely to be added to the list of most eccentric sport stars, or indeed featured in the papers other than in the back pages. Instead you have 40 players who have 100% bought into their respective managers philosophy. That of course is where the similarities end. So what is likely to happen on Saturday?

Injuries, form and fatigue.

No, that isn’t the new England back three by the way, but those three issues have been kinder for Tottenham perhaps than they have for Arteta’s boys. Ødegaard, Partey, Smith Rowe, Zinchenko and Tierney are all still doubtful, carrying knocks or at least not at full match fitness, though of those Partey is perhaps most likely to feature on Saturday. Saka played a part in both England games, and his cameo off the bench on Monday– in his correct position this time – will have given him confidence and not taken too much out of his legs.

Tottenham have a clean bill of health except from Moura who has hardly featured this season. Son’s woeful start to the season appeared to have had some life injected into it courtesy of the Korean’s second half hat-trick against the hapless Foxes.

Conte is yet to taste defeat this season, but his team have amassed their points without looking anything like dominant apart from against teams that are struggling. The same could perhaps be said of Arsenal, though their performance against an in-form Brentford was nothing short of perfection.

A game of two systems.

As systems go, those used by Arteta and Conte couldn’t be more different. Arsenal’s game will be conducted on the front foot, crowding the midfield, trying to dominate with the ball as far into their opponent’s half as possible. The diamond in the centre of midfield that has proved so decisive this season, with Jesus and Partey on the tips, could very well be compromised if the Ghanian midfielder does miss out, however.

Tottenham will be content to concede numerical supremacy in the middle of the field, hoping that their back five, with the three midfielders just in front, will be able to absorb the pressure, before countering quick with Kane, Kulusevski, Son and or Richarlison.

In that respect, both teams play into the other’s hands. Arsenal want to be proactive, to dictate play their way, with the ball. Tottenham can’t play that way. The way they set up means if they have the ball against a team that sits back, their team gets stretched, leaving holes that can be exploited.

That does beg the question of whether a tactical change work well on Saturday, forcing Tottenham to come out, to play in a way they are not comfortable with, and does not suit the players they have. Intriguing though that may be, it is incredibly unlikely that Arteta will abandon what has been working so well, and concede possessional and positional advantage especially when they are top of the table and playing their biggest rivals at home. That said, it will surely be an option he will consider in the return match in January.