Arsenal vs Tottenham: North London derby speaking factors as Gunners and Spurs conflict on the Emirates Stadium

With the 198th north London derby on Sunday, dwell on Sky Sports activities, we check out the large speaking factors as Arsenal host Tottenham in one of many fiercest rivalries in British soccer…

Arsenal’s large week | Can Spurs keep unbeaten away?

Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea – all within the house of seven days. Is that this the week the place Arsenal’s season is determined?

First is the north London derby – the largest recreation within the membership’s fixture calendar. Then comes Harry Kane – arguably the perfect striker on the earth – to the Emirates just a few days later. Then it is Chelsea – with Mikel Arteta describing Enzo Maresca’s facet because the “best attacking team in the league” earlier this 12 months. It is a large run.

Win all three and Arsenal can be prime of the Premier League and the Champions League – you’d most likely again them to be favourites in each. Slip up wherever and it’ll present Mikel Arteta’s facet have lots of work to do to earn that standing, significantly with Man Metropolis on their Premier League coat-tails.

Sarcastically, if Arsenal need to understand how powerful that run might be, then they need to simply ask their girls’s group. Renee Slegers’ facet have simply performed these actual three opponents, all in a row, and failure to win any of these video games has left their season in tatters.

Arsenal’s males’s facet can’t afford the identical, or all their early-season momentum would have evaporated.

For Spurs, their unbeaten away document within the Premier League and Europe this season faces its hardest examination within the house of 4 days.

Spurs have solely received as soon as within the league on the Emirates Stadium – that 3-2 comeback win beneath Harry Redknapp coming precisely 15 years in the past – whereas they’ve averted defeat simply as soon as of their final 5 league visits there.

If Frank’s facet can keep their immaculate away league kind on Sunday, then one other almighty check awaits on Wednesday if they’re to protect their unbeaten Champions League away document as they go to holders Paris Saint-Germain.

What a blockbuster week forward for the 2 north London golf equipment.

Eze’s awkward assembly with Spurs

Wednesday, August 20. The day every part modified.

Eberechi Eze was heading for Tottenham when he referred to as Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal supervisor was about to enter a board assembly when Eze requested if there was any likelihood his boyhood membership had been nonetheless serious about him, earlier than a transfer to their arch-rivals.

By the tip of the day, Arsenal re-entered the Eze race, having misplaced Kai Havertz to a long-term knee damage earlier within the week. One Eze cellphone name swung the tide – giving Arsenal a lift in assault and leaving Spurs kicking themselves.

“That shows you how much he wanted to come,” stated Arteta about that cellphone name with Eze on the next Saturday, after his new midfielder signed on the dotted line.

Regardless of a high-profile switch, Eze is biding his time in terms of life at Arsenal. There have been glimpses, however two objectives and three assists from 15 video games has left some wanting extra.

Eze’s already scored in opposition to his former membership in Crystal Palace whereas in Arsenal colors. A aim in opposition to the group he so almost joined would take his Gunners profession into lift-off.

Spurs’ Eze various, Simons, struggling

If Eze’s begin at Arsenal has been a bit of sluggish, then Xavi Simons’ has not even received off the road at Spurs.

The participant Tottenham moved for after Eze’s late change of coronary heart is but to attain in his first 14 appearances.

The £51m signing has struggled to adapt to the tempo, energy and depth of the Premier League – and Sunday’s recreation may have this in abundance.

However there have been indicators that Simons is simply beginning to discover his ft at Tottenham. He was awarded participant of the match of their 4-0 Champions League residence win over Copenhagen, and his substitution within the following 2-2 residence draw in opposition to Man Utd was booed by followers, who had been having fun with his constructive show.

The 22-year-old’s confidence and kind continued to maneuver in the best path through the worldwide break as he scored within the Netherlands’ 4-0 residence win over Lithuania to assist ebook their place at subsequent summer time’s World Cup.

Simons will now be concentrating on his first aim for Tottenham at their fiercest rivals, with Thomas Frank’s facet badly needing his creativity and spark if they’re to return away from the Emirates with one thing.

Will injured gamers from either side return?

Accidents have been an enormous problem for these two rivals this season.

Arsenal ended the worldwide break with Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke all absent.

And whereas some might return for Sunday, there may be one other blow in defence with Gabriel set to overlook Arsenal’s large week as a result of an adductor downside picked up in Brazil’s Emirates Stadium pleasant with Senegal.

That Brazil-Senegal recreation additionally delivered an damage blow for Spurs as midfielder Pape Sarr went off within the second half.

The Senegal boss performed the damage down afterwards, however whether it is extra critical than first thought, then Frank might be with out 12 first-team gamers in opposition to Arsenal.

The Dane can be significantly sweating over the provision of attacker Mohammed Kudus, who has missed their final two video games, and midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who’s recovering from a concussion.

Battle of the set-piece specialists!

Arsenal and Spurs are united of their pleasure of set items. If the actual prize on provide was objectives from set items, then Sunday’s assembly can be a title decider.

The comparisons go additional. When Nicolas Jover – Arsenal’s set-piece guru – left Brentford in 2019 to affix Man Metropolis, the person who changed him a 12 months later on the Bees was Andreas Georgson, who’s now Spurs’ set-piece coach.

Not solely that, however the two north London sides depend on set items for lots of their likelihood creation output. These two sides rank second and third for the proportion of their total Anticipated Targets coming from the lifeless ball.

Prime of that record is Sunderland – who used set items to create a chink in Arsenal’s armour through the 2-2 draw earlier than the worldwide break. Dan Ballard’s aim from a free-kick put the Gunners on the again foot within the recreation – that means three out of the 4 objectives Arsenal have conceded this season have come from set performs.

There have been comparable issues final season, with 14 out of the 27 league objectives Arsenal allowed final season coming from set items. If Sunderland can exploit this weak spot in Arsenal’s system, then Spurs are additionally able to it too.

Frank’s faltering assault

But when Spurs’ set-piece recreation stutters on the Emirates, then the highlight can be firmly on Tottenham’s open-play menace.

Regardless of Spurs being the joint-fourth prime scorers (19) within the Premier League this season and having the perfect shot conversion charge of any group, the underlying numbers inform a distinct story.

Spurs are outperforming their xG by virtually eight objectives – the largest overperformance within the league. In addition they rank backside of the league for via balls tried (4) and accomplished (2), whereas solely two groups have had fewer pictures and created fewer possibilities than Tottenham.

Frank’s uncertainty over his greatest assault – not helped by their prolonged damage record – has seen him use 16 completely different attacking combos in 18 video games this season in all competitions.

The Dane has solely began the identical attacking mixture in successive video games twice this season, the final time coming within the first two video games of October, with Kudus, Simons, and Wilson Odobert the three behind striker Mathys Tel.

And that entrance 4 might properly be the one which begins on the Emirates after Tel got here off the bench to attain an equaliser within the Man Utd draw to push his case for a begin over the irritating Richarlison, with Randal Kolo Muani now injured.

Odobert additionally made a big impact off the bench within the draw as he helped within the build-up to Tel’s aim after which offered the cross for Richarlison’s stoppage-time header earlier than Man Utd equalised minutes later.

Spurs’ assault has been closely biased in the direction of the right-hand facet, with Kudus and right-back Pedro Porro creating probably the most possibilities for Tottenham this season.

It’s why Frank ought to begin Odobert at left-wing and Future Udogie at left-back on Sunday to supply higher stability.

Udogie has had a stop-start season as a result of damage, however his latest shows in opposition to Copenhagen after which off the bench in opposition to Man Utd had been eye-catching.

Udogie’s drive from left-back offers real width down the left, which the right-footed and inverting Djed Spence can’t, and so the Italy worldwide’s thrust from defence ought to assist enhance the pace of a up to now spluttering assault.