The North London Derby lived up to its hype – at least when it came to cards. It was a typically intense and highly emotional match between the two London sides. There was no clear winner when it came to domination, but Arsenal nipped in front where it mattered the most: the win column. With nothing much to separate between the two sides, let’s see what we learned from the game.
Spurs looked toothless AGAIN.
It will be worrying for the Spurs fans, especially Ange Postecoglou, that his side looked blunt in yet another game. But it wasn’t just “another” game; it was one of the biggest games of their season, and the Spurs faltered badly.
With a rusty Solanke up front, Spurs never looked smooth in the final third. Even the ever-inspiring Son looked jaded. Brennan Johnson didn’t have a good game, either. This has been the story of this early season for Spurs. Despite having many forwards in the squad, they have not looked threatening at all.
The Weird Kulusevski Experiment
With Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall on the bench, Ange went with Kulusevski as no.10, and it’s safe to say it didn’t work out. Putting a wide midfielder centrally effectively negated Kulusevski’s main threat, which is his quick feet and pace.
Putting Kulusevski in the no.10 position also robbed Maddison of his natural position. While Maddison is comfortable in the no.8 role, his best position is further forward, and the lack of creativity in the first and especially the second half showed that.
Set Piece Impotence
Spurs and set pieces are a match made in hell. Despite calls for calm by Ange Postecoglou and him being unnerved about Spurs’ impotence from set pieces, the winner by Gabriel came from…you guessed it right! Set piece.
Tottenham gave Gabriel the freedom of the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium to head home a corner. In hindsight, it was such an easy goal to concede. Gabriel leaped up unchallenged and headed in the corner. Romero, his marker, was nowhere to be seen.
Spurs’ frailty needs to be addressed by Ange quickly because it is coming back biting them in the backside every now and then. Vicario is clearly uncomfortable during set pieces, and Spurs should be doing more to protect their goalkeeper. He looks static. Ange would have definitely taken notice of that fact after the game, but it is a huge weakness that needs addressing straight away.
To round off, Tottenham needs to step up in these derbies. Even as a neutral, one cannot see Spurs dominating this derby like Arsenal has. It is a huge mental barrier that needs breaking. Spurs fans will hope they can return the favour at the Emirates.