When two of the Premier League’s longest-serving members are divided only by a small amount of land, a clash between the two of them is titanic. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs will take on each other in the annual derby to decide who of the two have the better Twitter fan base. Really.
It’s filled with fights, bloodshed, and disgusting chants off the field. And with fights, bloodshed (not as much) and disgusting arguments on the field.
And while people seem to scramble around trying to find out just how Tottenham have become a force to reckon with in the Premier League, it’s worth knowing Arsenal have the better record heading into this weekend’s match – considering the last ten times these two sides met.
Arsenal have won five of the last ten matches against Tottenham with Gareth Bale’s former team only winning two. Three draws as well with two of them being the most recent ones coming in the two League games last season.
But the game is usually decided by certain players in each side. Dele Alli has become a hateable figure (for Arsenal fans) off late – like Emmanuel Adebayor or Michael Dawson. And Arsenal don’t have Jack Wilshere – their charismatic riot-starting chant-creating chest-pushing little bundle of testosterone and passion.
However, there are still certain players who could very well decide the game. Their matchups with the opposition could swing the game either way and could go a long way in deciding how the teams enter two critical months in the Premier League.
Here are three key battles that could decide North London #1 of the 2016/2017 season:
Mesut Ozil vs Victor Wanyama
By now, Victor Wanyama will know better than to do a ‘Kante vs Ozil’ this weekend. He’ll be prowling the German’s movements across the field snapping at his ankles if he has just to ensure Mesut Ozil doesn’t get the time to find a pass further forward.
Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante learnt it the hard way and paid for it by letting Ozil drift all over behind him to let Arsenal’s forwards through.
Wanyama is a tougher, quicker and stronger midfielder and will have his toughest job yet for Mauricio Tottenham’s side this season.
Ozil, however, is in a dream run of form scoring goals and being a pivotal figure in almost all of Arsenal’s attack going forward. But what’s improved from last season is the amount of time he’s spent sliding on grass sucking his thumb.
Ozil vs Wanyama is the kind of battle that could decide the game and Arsene Wenger will ensure he gives Ozil the right kind of support to flourish in the centre.
Dele Alli vs Shkodran Mustafi
Not the kind of matchup you’d expect, really, but Dele Alli has seen chances aplenty running in late into the box. (Like a certain Aaron Ramsey in 2013)
Shkodran Mustafi, on the other side, has been a solid addition for the Arsenal side proving to be the ideal partner for Frenchman Laurent Koscielny. And this weekend, he’ll have the chance to enter the hearts of Arsenal fans forever.
Mustafi is a no-nonsense defender who loves the sliding tackle and the occasional push but the slyest, most cunning player he’ll come up against this season could be young Alli.
Alli has been sensational for Tottenham – and England – ever since joining the first-team in the summer last season. His tricks, flicks, quick-abuses are a pain for any defender to deal with and he’ll get under their skin extremely quickly.
For Mustafi, though, this could be the kind of fixture where he goes all Poker-faced again. The German and Koscielny did it ever so brilliantly against Chelsea’s Diego Costa and will have to do the same – be the kind of silent ball-stealing prick who looks the other way when the going gets in your face.
One tasty battle, this.
Alexis Sanchez vs Eric Dier
Was I the only one grinning when I saw Eric Dier’s mistake against Bayer Leverkusen which almost resulted in a goal? Of course, I’m an Arsenal fan, you’d have picked that up by now.
But just ask Gary Cahill what it means to be a high-line defender when you have Arsenal’s littler energiser bunny breathing down your neck. Alexis Sanchez is a prowler – and one in form.
He’s not going to let Dier live in peace chasing down dead situations and proving to be a nuisance. But, sadly (in a way), he isn’t the kind of player who would instigate a fight just to rattle the defenders.
Dier, on the other hand, could have one of the best games of his career if he sticks to basics. No flashy passes, no no-look passes, and certainly no neck-muscle-less headers.
Dier is big, strong and fast and he’ll have to be on his a-game to ensure Alexis has no say in this battle. But more than anything, he needs to be patient when on the ball.
