EPL Preview: Arsenal vs Tottenham - North London pride up for grabs

Preview

Tottenham’s new signings might be the difference

Tottenham will be all set to take charge of the midfield, and one man to look out for will be Nacer Chadli. He has impressed immensely since his £7 million move from FC Twente, and only Chelsea’s Eden Hazard has created more chances this campaign. Same goes for Paulinho, who has taken to the Premiership like a fish to water. Etienne Capoue has performed the role of a smokescreen in front of the defense, but handling slick movement with Cazorla and Walcott will be increasingly difficult, which will only lead to more questions about his temperament.

Soldado has already scored twice in his first two appearances for his new club, but both of them came from penalties. Even though Tottenham look alarmingly mighty on paper, they haven’t been able to translate it to goals. They may have created 39 chances in the current campaign, but have failed to score from open play, which is surprising given their attacking framework. That being said, the defense has been water tight, with the sensational Hugo Lloris getting better by the game week.

A major factor that Tottenham seemed to have added to their gameplay is their ability to physically challenge an opposition. The physical aspect will certainly help them derail the home side’s strategy, or at least pull momentum.

Arsenal will certainly need to step it up a notch, if they want to replicate the 5-2 wins. With AVB’s defense, pumping 5 goals is certainly too optimistic, and Arsenal will be busy scurrying around after the ball, getting pushed around occasionally.

Aston Villa showed us why the Arsenal fort is not impenetrable, but convincing victories at Fulham and the games with Fenerbahce have restored morale. How far this carries Arsenal, without any significant signings, is still to be seen, because it may just a typical case of megalomania.

Olivier Giroud has been prolific at the Emirates, having scored 11 of his 13 goals for Arsenal in the lavish green at Ashburton Grove. Theo Walcott should be another man to watch, but it will be hard to him to play his ‘drifting wide’ game with Walker and Dawson set to be snapping at his jet fueled heels.

Szczesny, in particular, will need to pull off a spectacular game to earn a fighting chance for his team and prove to his manager his ability to be the first man on the team sheet.

Another crackling contest is on the cards, and Wenger may just regret not doing any decent transfer business. If the worst may come true, this might just prove to be this season’s 8-2 for the Gunners. AVB is all set to prove his worth a world class manager, and the transfers have at least given the Spurs a foundation to build on.

Men to Watch

Nacer Chadli and Theo Walcott

Prediction

Arsenal 1 – 2 Tottenham