The North London derby is always a game to be marked in the calendar. Over the years goals, red-cards and controversies have littered this fixture, making it one of the most enjoyable match-ups in the Premier League season.
This season the two London clubs met under unfamiliar circumstances. Not just the absence of a crowd but the absence of Champions League football is not something either team is looking to make a habit of.
Coming into the match Tottenham have managed just two victories in five matches, and perhaps more concerningly, performances have looked well below that required to meet the top-four standard. Frustrations and murmurs have already begun about José Mourinhos attacking fluidity; a victory on this afternoon was a must. Defeat to bitter rivals is almost unforgivable.
Despite an obvious lack of creative freedom displayed by both teams, an exciting game was eventually won by Tottenham who came from behind to take three points.
In this tactical analysis, we look at the tactics used by booths side, in particular focusing on the difference between the two managerial philosophies.
Line ups
The home side started in an unfamiliar 4-4-2 shape. This is a system theyve used for just 203 minutes of league football and average an xG90 of 0.82 whilst using it. A familiar back four included Ben Davies and Serge Aurier at full-back. The pair were given the license to attack, moving forward to support their wide midfielder during the attacking development. Harry Winks and Giovani Lo Celso partnered in midfield where they operated as a double pivot, coming short to regurgitate the ball in possession cycles. Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura were deployed as the wide midfielders.
This role looked to suit Moura better, as he could use his pace and dribbling to move out of the lateral spaces inside to seek passing lanes into the front players. Sissoko struggled with the unfamiliar positioning as his technical ability didnt suit the tight spaces where intricate passing combinations were required. Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son started up front, where Kane was looking to end his three-game mini goal drought.
For Mikel Arteta, it
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