Arsenal look to right the ship on Sunday when they travel across town to face rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a North London Derby that has taken on far more significance in light of recent wobbly performances.
There is no easy way of saying it – the Gunners are facing a major identity crisis. Every bit of the steely, gritty determination that typified the first half of the season and propelled them to the top of the table has evaporated, culminating in Wednesday’s calamitous capitulation at the Molineux. The Gunners toothless, scared performance has seen a wave of (deserved) criticism from every corner of the footballing world. They still sit atop the Premier League table, but that hardly feels secure or like anything more than a hollow consolation.
Arsenal’s PL campaign is at a critical impasse. The players look spent, the tactics aren’t working, and the mood around the club feels rife with discord. The first five months of the season may as well have been a lifetime ago as the Gunners look like a shell of themselves. All of that stands in stark contrast to the fact that they are leading the league, in a cup final, and still very much alive in the FA Cup and Champions League. Such is the duality of this season’s Arsenal.
Waiting for them is a Spurs side in the midst of their own crisis, turning an already-intense derby into one with massive sliding doors implications. The Gunners’ noisy neighbors have endured a season rife with injuries and poor showings in the league, culminating in the sacking of Thomas Frank earlier in the month. Spurs have little left to play for in the league than pride, and nothing is more dangerous for a reeling side like Arsenal than to face a hated rival with nothing to lose and a chance to deliver a fatal blow to the Gunners’ title charge.
There are no easy fixes or answers, but a win for the Gunners on Sunday goes a long way toward correcting the problems. It won’t come easy, but what has this season? With their title hopes hanging in the balance, can they put their recent performances behind them and rise to the occasion when it matters most?
Here are three talking points ahead of Sunday’s North London Derby:
Tottenham enter Sunday’s derby sitting in 16th place with 29 points and a record of 7W/8D/11L.
Much to the chagrin of Arsenal supporters, sleeper agent Thomas Frank’s era has come to an end. Following a season of woeful underperformance in the league that has led to Spurs being a mere 6 points above the relegation zone, he was given his walking papers after their loss against Newcastle. With a third of the season left to play, they have turned to journeyman Igor Tudor as interim manager, joining after a brief stint as manager at Juventus.
The Croation manager has his work cut out for him. Not only does he have to find a way to fix the performances on the pitch, but he has to overcome a mountain of injuries as well as the historic ethos of the club, which no recent manager has managed to do.
Hampering Spurs’ chances of a derby win is their thin roster. They face up to 11 absences through injury, a continued trend from last season. Countless key figures are out with long-term injuries, and at this point, it’s almost easier to list who is available rather than who isn’t. Their biggest absence won’t be due to injury, though. Centerback Christian Romero misses the Derby through suspension after another red card. He is their defensive leader, and is a massive loss in this pivotal match.
Spurs have not managed to find much success at home, an issue that extends back to last season. They have only won twice at home this season, much to the visible anger of the supporters. Of their 36 goals scored this season, only 16 have come at home. That stat is even more damning when you consider that they are the league’s top over-performer when it comes to goals vs xG, scoring 8.6 goals more than expected.
How Spurs will lineup and play is anyone’s guess. With 2 weeks gone since their last match, Tudor has had a solid window to work with the squad and implement the basics of his tactics. His style of play isn’t too dissimilar to former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, coaching his sides to play aggressive and on the front foot. With Arsenal looking leggy, he will likely look to use Spurs’ fresh legs to land an early punch and harry the Gunners all match to force mistakes and keep them out of rhythm, as too many sides have done recently.
It’s almost comical that Arsenal’s downturn has come as they have reached near full health. Mikel Manager indicated that there were no new injury concerns following Wednesday’s draw, and that the likes of Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard could be available for Sunday. The only player certain to miss is Mike Merino, who is recovering from foot surgery.
Attack: Trossard, Havertz, Saka
The attack against Wolves looked like they had never seen, let alone kicked, a football before. The imbalance of Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke on the wings meant that there was a severe lack of tactical solidity at the expense of pace and not much else. Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka have had tremendous NLD success and give the side far more control. Viktor Gyökeres had another performance where he was a net negative, registering zero shots on goal and contributing next to nothing in the build up, and Gabriel Jesus was no better when he came on. With Kai Havertz likely to return, could we finally see the German back up top? His impact after his recent return has been palpable, though he has been deployed more as a midfielder. He simply makes the side tick.
Midfield: Rice, Zubimendi, Ødegaard
Arteta’s penchant for playing favorites at the detriment of rotation has been one the most valid criticisms of the gaffer, and the midfield is a prime example. Martin Zubimendi was anonymous as the match wore on at Wolves despite a perfectly good Christian Nørgaard wasting away on the bench. Nothing has shown that this will change, so I fully expect Arteta to roll out a familiar lineup on Sunday come hell or high water. Ebereche Eze hasn’t covered himself in glory recently, and despite his hat trick heroics in the first NLD, Martin Ødegaard’s return likely see’s the captain return to his usual role. Say what you will about him, but his ability to help Arsenal maintain control is inimitable by anyone else in the side.
Defense: Calafiori, Gabriel, Saliba, White
Arsenal’s defense has been shockingly prone to conceding extremely low-percentage chances lately. More concerning, though, is the number of goals being given up late in matches. Like the midfield, you can chalk some of that up to the lack of rotation, specifically at right back. Jurrien Timber had his worst performance of the season on Wednesday, looking completely wiped. If Ben White or Cristhian Mosquera aren’t starting on Sunday, it will be borderline criminal negligence to see Timber back on the pitch. Riccardo Calafiori had the misfortune of conceding the own goal for Wolves equalizer when he failed to properly clear the ball off the line. It’s no fault of his, as he shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place. Hopefully he bounces back from that and can help the offense find a spark.
Arsenal’s shot stopper had a decent match until he collided with Gabriel late in stoppage time, leading to the equalizer for Wolves. It’s hard to say who is to blame for the moment, but Raya didn’t cover himself in glory and will need to put that moment behind him ASAP and get his head on right before Sunday.
For reasons both valid and contrived, Arsenal have become the side people love to hate. No matter. As former manager George Graham famously once said, “it’s fine that people hate us. It’s part of our history.” The football world will be watching, eagerly waiting to see Arsenal’s implosion continue. Don’t give them the satisfaction, Gunners. Block out the noise, get your heads screwed on, and play like the champions you aspire to be.
WHO: Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur
WHAT: Premier League match day 28
WHEN: Sunday, February 22nd, 11:30am EST/8:30am PST/4:30pm GMT
WHERE: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast on the USA Network
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