Morning all.
It’s Sunday, it’s North London Derby Day, it’s 2nd v 4th. Reality is though, take away the bragging rights and it’s just another game with three points on offer. Both clubs go into this game having played 5, won 4 and drawn 1. Totts drew their game at Brentford, Arsenal dropped two points at home against Fulham.
Ange Postecoglou joined Totts in the summer having won the Scottish PL with Celtic.two seasons in a row. He also won the League Cup twice and the Scottish Cup once. I’m not really sure where he’d been managing/coaching before then and I can’t say I’m really interested either but from what I’ve read, attacking football is his way.
After seeing how Arsenal performed against PSV, another club who went to The Emirates to play football against us rather than defend first and foremost, it’ll be interesting to see if he alters his approach. Apparently not if what he’s quoted as saying in The Mail is true:
In terms of the way we play, we’re not changing, mate. We’ll go out and scare the life out of them. If we shy away from it, don’t play our football, manage to get a draw and survive the experience, what have we really learned? Apart from surviving 90 minutes of football? Nothing. We’re going to go out and play our football.
With no European football to worry about, they’ll turn up later, well rested and raring to go.
Mikel Arteta’s players however, will, or at least should be, full of confidence after Tuesdays comprehensive victory over PSV in front of an Emirates crowd in fine voice. It’ll be no different later either as a NLD always raises the noise level a few decibels.
The news from Mikel Arteta’s press conference was mostly about Martin Odegaard and the excitement over him signing a new long term contract. Understandable really as he’s such a special player who’s really important to the team. I doubt there’s an Arsenal fan in the world who isn’t both thrilled with this news and relieved. I’m sure next summer, more than one enquiry from a so called bigger club will come in for him. Not just him either.
The goalkeeping situation cropped up too but that’s inevitable really, boring though. Injuries are pretty much as they were. Timber and Partey out, Martinelli a doubt although I can’t see him playing and what’s the point in risking him when we have Trossard, ESR, Nelson, Vieira in reserve.
The back five pretty much picks itself again I think, including Raya in goal. Rice, Odegaard, Jesus and Saka are all but a certainty in my opinion as well as Trossard in for Martinelli. Vieira or Havertz is the last option and I’m going for the German to get the nod because of his hold up ability as well as his defensive game. If ever there was a fixture to really get his Arsenal career really going in, it’s this one.
As always, Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke has given us an insight on what to expect from the opposition – writing in the official matchday programme:
Tottenham are no longer a deep-lying, reactive counter-attacking side. They have quickly become a proactive team full of individuals who are comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas, wanting to form neat triangles and attack with numbers. They line up in a 4-2-3-1 system, and focus on possession-based football, aiming to create overloads and find space. This style change has seen Spurs increase the number of successful passes they make inside the opposition half by 67 per cent, and they lead the way with touches in the opposition box. Runners exploit gaps between full-backs and central defenders, so they will try to test us with bursts from deep.
A lot of what Tottenham produce right now goes through rejuvenated central midfielder Yves Bissouma. A lot of build-up play revolves around the former Brighton & Hove Albion star’s quality in possession, and he has been superb at regaining the ball. No midfielder has made more interceptions, and he ranks joint second for tackles made. Switching to such an adventurous style has understandably led to Spurs being vulnerable to opposition attacks. From turnovers, they have been stretched, especially in the wide areas with opponents creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities.
Out of all of the above, Totts being vulnerable to oppositional attacks interested me most because Mikel Arteta’s team will love that. Plus, let’s put things into perspective, Arsenal’s midfield and defence are looking good, confident too, especially since Ben White returned to right-back and Gabriel was reinstated alongside William Saliba. I think our left side will be the area Totts target, purely because Oleksandr Zinchenko can go walk about.
As for the areas Arsenal can attack… all of them!
Seriously though, this fixture is being written about a lot. How will Arsenal cope against a strong, athletic and attacking side and likewise, how will the noisy neighbours cope against an Arsenal side which is very capable of exploiting their own defensive vulnerabilities.
We’ll see I guess…
Catch up in the comments…
Good morning Rico.
Australia is the answer, lower leagues and not a lot of success by all accounts, his success at Celtic sounds good but in a two horse race, that is the Scottish League, only Rangers really offer any competition.
My expected starting line-up: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Odegaard, Havertz, Saka, Jesus, Trossard. Although Nketiah could start with Jesus coming on in the second half when the ferocity of the Spurs tackling dies down a bit. Zinchenko to be subbed at sixty-two minutes, whatever the state of the game.
Morning Cicero, thanks. I couldn’t be bothered to look. I did read a few sly comments from Ange about Arteta being inexperienced, young and only knows one League etc, whereas he is far more experienced… blah blah..
He did admit to Arteta being fitter though. 😝
I recall Scott banging in about the big man.
Team wise, I think we’re in the same page so we might be right, or very very wrong. Lol
Thanks Rico,
I feel strangely relaxed about this one,normally I feel nervous about the NLD.
I quite like Ange,Maddison is a favourite player,Bissouma also is a player I would have liked to see at Arsenal.
Looking forward to the game,I just we are not talking about the Ref.
COYG
Me too re Bissouma Limey, he was great at Brighton but struggled a bit last season. Midfield battle today could be key.
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Rice, Vieira, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Nketiah.
Substitutes: Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Kiwior, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Nelson, Elneny, Havertz
Trossard injury rumours true then…
Hopefully Nelson gets a run out.
And Cedric. 😂
Afternoon Rico and all.
Big call by Arteta to start Raya, it doesn’t matter what the managers say before the game, its the result that counts
Silly yellow card by Odegaard, so early in the game
Hi Geoff.
Great save from Raya, loved the reaction from Ramsdale. Big chance fluffed by Jesus which had it gone in, would imo knocked the stuffing out of Totts.
Sloppy defending and now it’s all even.
Agree about the Jesus chance – he should have scored.To be fair he has been outstanding but feels like the game changed then.
Long way to go.
We are missing a presence on the left wing, Jesus is wasted out there and Zinchenko can’t take advantage of the space down there.
Someone is going to get a red card soon, not sure which side will cop it.
we always seem to run out of steam after half hour each helf Odegaar doing all of Eddies chasing
Bad defending led to their equaliser, but we need to tighten up a little and put the pressure on their players on a yellow card
Rice off? Injury or tactical? Jorginho on for Vieira.
Another injury with Rice off.
Left calf injury to Rice…
Wtf worry about the penalty, just bleeding shoot!
Why did it take VAR so long, it was a clear penalty, fk useless let them back in again
Expect lots of time wasting.
Eddie lucky he didn’t get a red card for his tackle on their keeper
That was points we dropped,
Should have brought ESR on when we had 10 minutes to go.
Disappointed yet relieved at the same time.
Thought we lost a bit of discipline in the second half and we definitely need a proper goal scorer..
We lost concentration after both of our goals. Jorginho in particular but also Saka.
Eddie isn’t the striker we need. As you say, Rico, We need a proper number nine.
Very disappointed but also very relieved, it could have been worse.
In my opinion, Totts always had the game under control. Two ex-Chelsea players coming on in the 2nd half and the team, which was already not doing well in the last 10 minutes of the 1st half, was completely out of control and disorganized. Statistical data reveals that Totts had more possession of the ball and the same number of opportunities.
We played in spaces. It seemed to me that several players were performing below normal. Consequences of European games? And there are more injuries. Partney is out for how long?
Also, 4 points dropped at home.
Nketiah has to be careful.
He didn’t impose himself anywhere and could have gotten a red card for, I don’t know, stupidity.
JM I wouldn’t blame European games, we were just not good enough today, sloppy defending and no true goal scorer.
not the result we wanted but on the play it’s a point
and it’s all we deserved
I’m surprised it was Nketiah who stayed on and not Jesus.
The conversation about Raya might be different after that game.
We really missed Martinelli, injuries are piling up right now, felt we were lucky to get a point in the end, incredible when you think how dominant we were for most of the first half.Their goalie hardly touched the ball, whereas Raya was given a real working over.
Surely there will be a lot of rotation for Brentford.
I hope Rice is back next week and today was just a precaution. Take the point and move on.
The league cup couldn’t have come at a better time really, as long as Arteta rotates. Mind you, with so many injuries, he’ll have little choice.
A back problem for Rice according to Arteta. ☹️
New post up