Arsenal 0-2 Tottenham: 4 talking points from the North London derby

Tottenham have made it into the final four of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2014/2015. They achieved it with a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Arsenal at The Emirates.

Spurs lost 4-2 against Arsenal earlier this month and this would come as a measure of sweet revenge for the Lily Whites as they claimed bragging rights in North London.

Tottenham would now head into the semi-final along with Chelsea, Burton Albion, and Manchester City and would know their fate in terms of their opponents when the draws are made.

This was the second loss in succession for Arsenal and puts a serious dent in the progress made since Unai Emery’s appointment. In this piece, we take a look at four talking points from the 197th North London Derby.

#4 Harry Kane becoming a more complete player

Harry Kane has undoubtedly been the premier striker in Europe over the last four seasons, winning consecutive EPL Golden Boots. He also finished as the highest goalscorer at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

While his goalscoring instincts have never been in question, he had always faced allegations that he was just a poacher, there to finish off moves and score goals for his team (which he admittedly did with aplomb).

This season, Kane has gone about improving other facets of his game, becoming a more rounded player, constantly dropping deep to help and kickstart play and this has been reflected in the numbers he has posted.

In 17 Premier League matches, he has assisted 3 goals for teammates and to put this in context, in the five years since he became established as a Tottenham starter, he has bettered this figure just two times (7 in 30 matches in 2017 and 4 in 34 in 2015), which are both figures he looks set to surpass this season. His other assist figures in the PL read two in 37 last season and one in 38 in 2015/2016.

Against Arsenal, Pochetino decided to start Kane from the bench, only introducing him in the 57th minute and just 66 seconds later, the 25-year-old was on hand to supply the assist for Dele Alli to put Arsenal to the sword much as he did for Eriksen’s stoppage-time winner against Burnley over the weekend.

#3 Arsenal’s confidence dealt a major blow

Arsenal have now lost two consecutive matches

Unai Emery was unveiled as Arsenal’s new manager in the summer after over two decades of being managed by Arsene Wenger and the 47-year-old was seen as the right man to lead the club into the new era having suffered a bit of stagnation in the latter years of Wenger’s reign.

The Spaniard tactician began his Arsenal tenure on a bad note, losing his first two matches, but embarked on a run of 11 consecutive wins in all competitions which were a personal best for Emery, as well as a club best for 11 years.

A draw against Crystal Palace in the EPL halted their momentum, but they still managed to remain unbeaten for 22 matches in all competitions until the 3-2 reverse at the St Mary’s stadium over the weekend.

The loss at Tottenham marked two straight defeats for Arsenal and represents a serious dent to their confidence in their chase for a top-four finish.

#2 Mauricio Pochetino sends the marker to Manchester United

Pochetino has been on an upward spiral in his managerial career and has come a long way from the man cutting his teeth when he was in charge of Espanyol in La Liga.

The Argentine had his first foray into English football management when he was made the head coach of Southampton and gained widespread praise for his work with The Saints, particularly his emphasis on promoting youth as well as his penchant for playing slick attractive football.

Pochetino was announced as the new manager of Tottenham in 2014 and he inherited a team which was just struggling on the precipice of the big teams and were desperate to break into the upper echelons of English football.

In that regard, Pochetino has passed with flying colors, as under his watch, Tottenham have not only become established as regular Champions League participants, but they have also become the premier team in North London.

He has also built his team around of bunch of hitherto unknown players and under his watch, players like Harry Kane, Heung-son Min, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen have gone on to become world beaters.

Against Arsenal, Mauricio showed his tactical nuances by beating Arsenal and got revenge for the derby defeat earlier this month. No wonder that Manchester United have reportedly earmarked him as Mourinho's successor next season.

#1 Emery still has issues to fix

Emery still has some problems to worry about at Arsenal

Arsenal have faced a lot of accusations over the last few seasons with most of them being justified, as the club fell dramatically from the previous heights it once occupied atop the English football hierarchy.

Unai Emery arrived and the consecutive victories and unbeaten run helped bring in a feel-good factor to the club, but beyond the wins lay a lot of issues which still persist.

In 17 EPL matches this season, Arsenal have shockingly not taken a half-time lead, instead showing resilience to rally after the break, with the club having won more matches in the second half this season than any other team.

Another drawback under Emery has also been the porosity of Arsenal’s defense, as the Gunners have conceded 23 goals in just 17 matches, which is a poor reflection when brought against the seven and ten conceded by Liverpool and Man City respectively.

Against Spurs, both issues were fatally exposed, as Spurs dominated proceedings in the first half, while also nullifying the supposed second-half rally by scoring a goal of their own.

The defense also had issues, as Emery was forced to field a weakened backline due to injuries, and even Koscielny’s introduction after the break did little to help matters as he was responsible for playing Dele Alli onside in the buildup to Spurs second goal.

Unai Emery must find a way to fix these defensive issues as well as the inability to come to life in the first half for Arsenal and the earlier he does it, the better for the club.