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This weekend sees the first North London derby of the 2019/20 season as Arsenal play host to Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, and while both sides have seen mixed results in their opening three games, right now you’d probably have to say that Gunners fans will be happier.
Spurs limped past promoted Aston Villa in their opening game, somehow rescued a point against a dominant Manchester City in their second, and then fell to Newcastle in their third in a genuinely awful performance. That result meant that taking into account 2018/19’s results, Spurs have lost 8 of their last 15 league games.
Naturally, Mauricio Pochettino’s men will be gunning to right the ship against their bitter rivals on Sunday. And if they want to do that, then Spurs need the following 5 players to come into the match on top form.
#1 Harry Kane
Tottenham’s top striker Harry Kane seemed to have erased his so-called ‘August curse’ for good during their opening game against Aston Villa by scoring a late brace to give his side a 3-1 victory. Kane took his goals excellently and it looked like the England captain was back to his best form, but in the two games that have followed, the forward has been trapped in the periphery of the game.
Barely being given a kick by Manchester City was one thing; City dominated possession and for Tottenham to even manage three shots on goal was almost a miracle, but against Newcastle, Kane struggled to make any kind of mark on the game and even missed a golden chance to equalise late on as he scuffed a late cross from Moussa Sissoko.
It is true that Kane is at his best when his teammates are providing him with goalscoring chances, but the striker is also capable of so much more than he’s shown in his past two games. Against Arsenal too, Kane has been a deadly marksman recently – he’s scored in all but two of the last ten North London derbies, and if he can recapture his best form this Sunday it could be trouble for the Gunners.
#2 Heung Min Son
Spurs’ quicksilver Korean international Heung-Min Son made his return against Newcastle after missing the opening two games of the season due to a suspension incurred when he picked up a red card against Bournemouth at the tail end of 2018/19. But, he was largely ineffective against the Magpies, clearly looking like a man who hadn’t played competitive football for his club in a while.
Tottenham fans will be hoping he’ll be back to his best against Arsenal on Sunday though, and there’s definitely one player on the home side who’ll likely be dreading the prospect of facing the Korean.
David Luiz – signed by Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer – was famously embarrassed by the sheer pace of Son as he scored Tottenham’s third goal in a 3-1 victory over his former club last November, and it’s not like the other members of Arsenal’s defence – Sokratis, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nacho Monreal – didn’t struggle with the similar pace of Liverpool’s attack last weekend.
If Son can come into the North London derby in his usual effervescent form then he could definitely cause trouble for the Gunners, and could potentially shoot Spurs to victory.
#3 Davinson Sanchez
Colombian centre-back Davinson Sanchez has been somewhat of a controversial figure amongst Spurs fans during the opening games of the new season. Preferred to Jan Vertonghen for reasons apparently only known to Mauricio Pochettino, Sanchez has appeared to struggle under the pressure, and was largely at fault for both John McGinn’s goal for Aston Villa and Joelinton’s winner for Newcastle at the weekend.
Despite this, Sanchez could well prove to be a key man for Tottenham if they are able to defeat Arsenal in this Sunday’s North London derby. Likely to partner Toby Alderweireld at the heart of the Spurs defence, Sanchez is at least blessed with something that his two Belgian teammates are somewhat lacking – rapid pace. And that could be very important against Arsenal, who tend to deploy rapid attackers in the form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and newcomer Nicolas Pepe.
If Sanchez can shake off his early-season jitters and get back to the imperious form he’s shown on plenty of occasions for Spurs, the Colombian could be the man to shackle the dangerous Aubameyang on Sunday and prevent him from making his killer runs. Do that, and there’s every chance he could help Spurs to victory.
#4 Dele Alli
The old saying is that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that could certainly be the case for Tottenham fans when it comes to Dele Alli. The England man didn’t have the best 2018/19 outside of the odd flash of brilliance, but given Spurs’ recent difficulties in breaking down sides like Newcastle and Aston Villa, the idea of Alli returning to action to help to break down such stubborn defences sounds like an excellent one right now.
Alli has been out for the first three games of 2019/20 due to a reoccurring hamstring issue – something that has had Mauricio Pochettino worried recently – but recent reports suggest that he’ll be ready to return to the Spurs starting XI for this weekend’s North London derby. And there’s no doubt that he adds a lot. Admittedly he isn’t a playmaker like Christian Eriksen, but nobody else links up quite as well with Harry Kane as he does and he also provides a strong goal threat.
More promisingly, Alli has a history of scoring important goals in the big London derbies. Last season saw him open the scoring in a 3-1 win over Chelsea, and it was his classy lob that helped to shoot Arsenal down in the EFL Cup. 2017/18 saw him score a brace against Chelsea, while his goal against Arsenal in 2016/17 led directly to a vital 2-0 win over the Gunners. If the return of Alli can galvanise his teammates, then Tottenham can win this game.
#5 Hugo Lloris
One of the few Spurs players to come away from their recent 2-2 draw with Manchester City with any credit, Hugo Lloris has seemingly shaken off the shaky issues that marred his 2018/19 and now appears back to his best. And faced with opponents like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe on Sunday, there’s no doubt that Tottenham will need the French stopper to be on form.
Inconsistency was the name of Lloris’s game last season; for every tremendous performance like his one against Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, there was a weird gaffe like his mistake that led to Liverpool’s winner against Spurs in a 2-1 loss in March. But the most memorable moment of the Frenchman’s season definitely came against Arsenal – he saved a late Aubameyang penalty to rescue a point against the Gunners at Wembley in a match that ended 1-1.
The fact that Lloris did so well against Arsenal just six months ago could mean that he’ll be taking a psychological advantage in against the Gunners’ front line this weekend – but it could also mean that Aubameyang and company will be shooting for revenge. If Lloris comes in on the same form he showed against Manchester City though, they’ll find it hard to beat him – and Tottenham may be able to win.
