Fierce rivals Tottenham and Arsenal have been involved in some memorable clashes over the years, from Paul Gascoinge’s thunderous long-range free kick at Wembley on FA Cup semi-final day in 1991, to Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ clinching the league at White Heart Lane in 2004.
How can anyone forget that crazy 5-4 match in 2004 at the Lane, or Aaron Lennon’s dramatic late equaliser at the Emirates in a 4-4 epic back in 2008?
However, none have had as much at stake as this weekend’s edition, with both club’s firmly entrenched in the most puzzling of title races in the Premier League era. It is the first time these two will be facing off with the championship on the line at this stage of the campaign. The nearest comparison to the current situation was back in May of 1971, when a final day header from Ray Kennedy ensured the Gunners would earn a historic first league/cup double, as Spurs failed to spoil the party of their arch enemy.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs have become a much tougher nut to crack, striking an ideal balance between defence and attack and showing a more steely resolve to graft our results without playing at their fluid best. But going with the unpredictable nature of this season, an unexpected 1-0 defeat to West Ham has raised doubts as to whether the Lilywhites have the mettle to sustain their title assault as we enter the pointy end of the season, in what is unchartered waters for the club.
Tottenham will still fancy their chances against an Arsenal side that is totally drained of confidence and belief; there is a sense of deja vu about the Gunners’ latest implosion. With the title seemingly there for the taking, they have proceeded to fold like a deck of cards, loosing three games on the bounce, two of those to a makeshift Manchester United outfit and to a relegation-threatened Swansea City at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
The criticism has been stinging from past players, pundits and supporters alike, who are simply perplexed as to how they have thrown away the club’s best opportunity in years for the it to become champion of England once more. Incredibly, after being so disappointing since that last-gasp victory over Leicester, Arsenal still sit only six points behind the Foxes and a further three behind their North London neighbours, making this game absolutely vital in the context of where the title will be heading this season.
A win for Tottenham would be the final nail in the coffin for Arsenal’s faltering season and leaving themselves and Leicester in a two-horse race to fight it out for this year’s championship. The Gunners need to forget about the title and focus on getting back to basics while also regaining some respect from their incensed fans, who have gone into meltdown after the team’s appalling recent performances.
Key Battle – Central-midfield
It has been well documented that Pochettino has implemented a more strenuous training regime since his arrival back in 2014, increasing player work loads with the overarching goal to successfully carry out his desire for Spurs to manically press the ball all over the pitch. The Argentine’s tactical tweak has been a major success, as the Tottenham midfield has been able to dictate matches with their opposition struggling to generate any sort of rhythm.
CrownBet match odds at time of publishing
Statistics show that Spurs players are covering more ground then anyone else in the Premier League, running a combined total of 117.74 kilometres per 90 minutes, five kilometres more then their North London counterparts. A midfield core of Moussa Dembele (pending fitness), Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen is a extremely well balanced, and their aerobic capacity has enabled the Lilywhites to win 17 points from losing positions this term, the most in the league, highlighting their ability to run out matches strongly.
This could prove pivotal against an Arsenal midfield that has looked severely dysfunctional since the injury to Santi Cazorla back in November. They are sorely lacking someone of Cazorla’s ilk who can intelligently retain the ball with high technical proficiency. The midfield partnership of Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin just has not worked, with the Welshman in particular having an awful time of it, negligently squandering possession and failing to fulfil his defensive duties.
Not having another ball player in central midfield has curbed the influence of Mesut Ozil, who has lacked any sort of support from his team mates in getting him the ball efficiently, but leaving him to shoulder the burden in the final third. When Ozil’s influence is limited, then it is almost certain that you have gone a long way to nullifying Arsenal posing an attacking threat.
Central-midfield is an area where Tottenham can look to expose Arsenal, their energy and verve could see them run all over the top of the Gunners in what will be a match played at a frenetic pace from the get-go. From the visitors’ perspective, they need a tactical reshuffle because at moment, things are just simply not working, and the options are quite bare with the likes of Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky, who are all technically gifted midfielders, unavailable through injury.
Team News
Pochettino has revealed that Belgian midfielder Dembele is a chance to be fit for Saturday’s crunch game as he continues to recover from a groin injury. Dembele will be assessed after tomorrow’s training session which is when a final decision will made.
Spurs should also welcome young gun Alli to the starting lineup after missing the match against West Ham midweek having injuring himself in the warm-up against Swansea. Jan Vertonghan and Clinton N’Jie remain on the sidelines.
It is likely that Kyle Walker will also return to the fold as well as in-form full-back Danny Rose, as Pochettino decided on rotating his squad during this hectic fixture period.
In an injury hammer blow which is so typical of Arsenal’s undoings, undoubted first choice goalkeeper Petr Cech injured his hamstring in the dying stages during the midweek defeat to Swansea and has been ruled out of the must win clash, meaning David Ospina will be ushered in as his replacement.
As has defender Laurent Koscielny, who will also miss with a calf, meaning Arsene Wenger will be without two of his most indispensable players at a time where they are so desperately required.
Head-to-Head
The North London Derby dates way back to the 4 December 1909, and since then the two old foes have faced off on 171 occasions, with Arsenal holding sway, triumphing 71 times compared Tottenham’s 53. There has also been 48 stalemates.
At White Heart Lane, Spurs have come up trumps 34 times with Arsenal tasting success on enemy territory 27 times. The Gunners’ last victory at White Heart Lane was back in 2014, their only victory in their past seven short trips across the capital.
Previous Meeting
The two last met back in November where it ended in a 1-1 draw. Harry Kane struck first for the visitors before substitute Kieran Gibbs scrambled home a late equaliser to earn the Gunners a share of the spoils.
The last time Arsenal travelled to Tottenham was back in February 2015, where a second half double including a dramatic late winner from Kane was enough to see Spurs claim an impressive 2-1 victory.
Prediction
Both Arsenal and Tottenham are known to make things hard for themselves, a prime example was their unexpected blips midweek. Spurs are trying to shake off their much published ‘Spursy’ tag, which means failing to live up to expectations, and to put it more simply, ‘bottling’ it. The word ‘bottle’ has been levelled heavily at the Gunners since they pressed the self-destruct button against Manchester United last Sunday. This game will require ‘bottle’ but also plenty of composure and desire in what is going to be a white-hot atmosphere inside the Lane come 12:45 Saturday afternoon.
At the moment, Arsenal are a team playing with none of these qualities, and it is hard to see them turning things around. They say form is thrown out the window on derby day, but with Arsenal’s defensive frailties, disjointed midfield, alarming shortage of goals up front, and a fragile mentality, its difficult to mount a case for them standing a chance in this one. The red side of North London has been celebrating ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’ since 1995, symbolising the last time Tottenham finished above their rivals in the league standings. A win this weekend for Spurs is a massive incentive in more ways than one, which could initiate a shift in power in North London after years of unsuccessful attempts.
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Arsenal 1
*CrownBet odds correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
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