Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal: 5 Talking Points

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Harry Kane scored the winner in the North London Derby as Spurs beat Arsenal 1-0

North London Derby bragging rights went to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday as they beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley to move up to third in the Premier League table.

A Harry Kane goal (his 23rd in the league this season) proved to be the difference on an afternoon where Spurs could have easily won 4-0 or 5-0 had they been more clinical. The scoreline flatters Arsenal who were dire over the 90 minutes and the result sees them drift further away from the chasing pack.

Here are the major talking points from the game.


#1 Arsenal's narrow midfield was counter-productive

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Mesut Ozil was unable to create many chances out wide

With Aaron Ramsey sidelined with a groin injury, Arsene Wenger was forced to make changes to the lineup and went with a midfield-heavy XI. The Gunners played with a back four but also a midfield five which consisted of Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Jack Wilshere, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Mesut Ozil.

However, it was more like a 4-3-2-1 formation instead of a 4-2-3-1 with Mkhitaryan occasionally going wide. Off the ball, it was a 4-5-1 to prevent Spurs from getting forward. It seemed like they were set up for a draw.

The problem with this formation for Arsenal was that it offered no width. Ozil drifted in and that pegged Hector Bellerin back, with the Spaniard rarely making forays forward.

Mkhitaryan had a poor game in this position. Although he did make a couple of crucial interceptions, he did not provide any impetus in attack and his final ball left a lot to be desired.

#2 Spurs' pressing was very effective

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur effectively cut out passing options for Arsenal

Mauricio Pochettino went with a strong lineup in the derby but the first half was a drab affair with nothing really working for either team. While Arsenal had personnel in the wrong positions, Spurs were initially unable to get going with only Son Heung-min providing moments of brilliance in attack.

But one thing the Spurs did right throughout the game was to press Arsenal when they had the ball. Despite having five midfielders on the pitch, Arsenal simply couldn't string more than three passes together.

Spurs also played a high line to narrow down the zones where Arsenal could have played themselves out of trouble. This also served another purpose - keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang further away from goal.

Whenever the speedy striker did break free to potentially go one-on-one, he was flagged offside. The high line was always a foot or two too high for Aubameyang who never got a shot on goal in the entire game.

#3 Arsenal played into Spurs' hands and Wenger's changes were confusing

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Aubameyang played the first half as a striker and the second half as a winger

Although the first half didn't see much action, the second half exploded into life with Spurs returning to the pitch with renewed vigour and purpose. In contrast, the Gunners looked like they had taken a nap at half-time and never looked up for the fight after the restart.

The biggest mistake Wenger made was asking his team to play out from the back. This was perfect for Pochettino as his players continued to press the midfielders who would bring the ball out or those who would link defence and attack. Jack Wilshere was the only player who was able to escape the press on many occasions and won a few fouls.

So when Wenger decided to make substitutions, he opted to bring on Alexandre Lacazette and pushed Aubameyang wide. It was a ploy designed to allow Aubameyang to get the better of Kieran Trippier but he never made the right runs and he only made two touches in the box as Davinson Sanchez also covered the zone well.

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Alexandre Lacazette missed two chances to score in stoppage time

Towards the end, Lacazette missed two clear chances but the fact that their best chances only came in stoppage time speaks volumes of how ineffective they were in the 90 minutes prior.

Their midfield towards the end? Ozil, Wilshere, and Alex Iwobi - who offered nothing going forward or in defence!

#4 Spurs make better use of width by constantly switching play

Heung-Min Son Arsenal Spurs
Heung-Min Son was the busiest player for Spurs in the first half

If Arsenal were guilty of failing to use the width offered by a pitch such as Wembley, Spurs relished the space out on both flanks. It was one of the reasons why Bellerin and Nacho Monreal were barely involved in Gunners' attacks.

Since Bellerin had no cover (Ozil drifted in, remember?), Ben Davies was afforded a lot of space while Son kept Bellerin busy. That is exactly how the goal came about for Spurs.

Monreal Bellerin heat map Arsenal Spurs
Monreal and Bellerin barely ventured forward for Arsenal

Davies had all the time in the world to pick his cross and teed up Harry Kane for what was a fantastic header which would eventually be the winner. Arsenal simply failed to deal with the cross - first by allowing Davies to deliver the ball and then by allowing Kane to get the jump on Laurent Koscielny.

Spurs were also very effective in switching play between flanks. Whenever there was a hint of pressure, they would switch play to the opposite flank and relieve that pressure.

The home side also delivered better crosses into the box and, if not for their misses and Petr Cech's saves, the scoreline could have been far more embarrassing for the Gunners.

Davies cross Kane goal
With Bellerin occupied by Son, nobody was on hand to prevent Davies from sending the cross in

#5 Winning Europa League may be Arsenal's only chance of qualifying for the Champions League

Arsene Wenger Arsenal
Arsene Wenger's days at Arsenal should be numbered as his team has regressed in two seasons

For years Arsene Wenger has managed to ensure that Arsenal scrape through to the Top 4 and qualify for the Champions League before that run came to an end last season. The signs were always there and their refusal to seriously strengthen the squad in the summer has hurt them this season.

The new winter signings ideally should have come in the summer. But with a defence like this, the Gunners are not going to win points when the attack also struggles. The last time they kept a clean sheet in the league was in December against Newcastle (1-0 win) - nine games ago.

As far as the Premier League table goes, Arsenal now find themselves in no man's land. By the end of the matchweek, they could find themselves 8 points behind fifth place and six points ahead of seventh place.

If they are to play in the Champions League next season, winning the Europa League may be their only option with four of the big six (Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham) setting the pace for Top 4 spots.

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Edited by Rohith Nair