'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tottenham awaits their biggest test of the season as they host Arsenal at the Wembley. Spurs lost 4-2 the last time they met in the league. After failing to win against the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City in their last two big games, Arsenal will look to go all out against Spurs. On the other hand, the home side comes into this game after back to back defeats in the Premier League. This match presents them with a perfect chance to get their season back on track, by registering a big win against their arch-rivals.
The North London Derby has always been an exciting and thrilling encounter to watch. It is filled with passion and drama, and one should not expect anything less this time. Tottenham sits 3rd on the table, four points above Arsenal. If the Gunners grab a win, they will only be a point behind Spurs, With a face-off against Manchester United in their next league game, this might be a season-defining game for the London outfit.
Arsenal has been inconsistent but impressive at this season this season. Considering that this is Unai Emery's first season with Arsenal, he has done an incredible job with limited funds. The Gunners are 11 points ahead than they were last season after 28 games, which tells us that their improvement under Emery has been significant.
It is going to rain goals at Wembley and there are four things Arsenal must do in order to outperform and outscore their London rivals tonight.
#4 Start the game with a 3-man defense
Since Harry Kane's return from injury, Tottenham has faced two Premier League sides: Burnley and Chelsea and they have faced defeats to both. However, underestimating his abilities would be a big mistake. Kane has scored eight of Spurs' last eleven Premier League goals against Arsenal. Only Wayne Rooney (12), Robbie Fowler (10) and Peter Crouch (9) have scored more league goals against the Gunners than Kane. This tells us that no matter what, Kane loves scoring against Arsenal and he always comes up big when facing his boyhood club.
Heung Min Son is another threat on the left wing. If Arsenal wishes to win, they have to stop this duo. When these two are at their best, the best of defenses fail to contain them. Arsenal's best hope is to play a three-man defense.
A three-man center back pairing would include Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis. The third sport would probably go to Shkodran Mustafi as Nacho Monreal played the whole 90 minutes against Bournemouth on Wednesday, and starting him again would be a big gamble.
#3 Play with effective offside traps
Arsenal has been shambolic defensively this season, and Unai Emery's possession-based football demands a high line of defense from his defenders. Though the Gunners aren't capable of matching Son's pace, they could certainly do the job of holding him down by playing effective offside traps.
Heung Min Son has not been much effective in his last two games for Tottenham and failed to score. However, his pace is extremely dangerous against big sides. One cannot forget his incredible solo goal against Chelsea at Wembley where he went past Jorginho, David Luiz, and Kepa to fire it into the net.
Having proper offside traps could make the difference for Arsenal by frustrating Spurs' forwards and eventually forcing them to commit more mistakes in the game. Playing a back three would help achieve this motive as center-backs are always more experienced and wiser while executing offside traps, than fullbacks.
#2 Bench Ozil and Lacazette
This might not impress every fan, but it would be a wise decision from the coach to bench Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lazazette. A front three of Alex Iwobi, Aubameyang, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be perfect for the game's tactical needs. Not to forget, Iwobi has had adequate rest by not playing against Bournemouth, whereas Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan came off around 70th-minute mark in that match.
On the other hand, Ozil played the whole game on Wednesday and it would be better to bench him in a game of such high intensity. He can make an impact coming off from the bench in the second half, in case the team needs a goal.
Lacazette, however, has proved to be an impactful sub this season. He has scored against all the big teams this season, including scoring the equalizer against Liverpool, the winner against Tottenham at the Emirates from the bench as well as the opener against Chelsea.
Having two world-class players on the bench could make a big difference for Arsenal and be a crucial factor in earning them three points.
#1 Stopping Eriksen as much as possible
Over the past few years, Arsenal teams have never come up with a proper plan to keep Christian Eriksen silent throughout the 90 minutes. This is something that has cost them a lot in the past.
Earlier this season at the Emirates, it was Eriksen's freekick that caused havoc in Arsenal's penalty box as Aubameyang's opener was cancelled in minutes by Dier's headed effort. After a few minutes, it was the Danish International who again who played a killer through ball for Son to chase to which led to a penalty for Spurs.
Eriksen is someone who pulls the strings for Tottenham every time. His vision and creativity on the ball are second to none. Unai Emery has to come up with an effective plan in order to stop him. Arsenal needs to have a midfielder sticking close to Eriksen and making him ineffective in the game. The lesser Eriksen touches the ball, the better for the away side.
