Will Arsenal’s defence fall to Tottenham’s forward versatility?

The North London Derby is knocking on the door for a third time this term. Arsenal defeated Spurs in a memorable 4-2 goal show at the Emirates in early December. Then, soon enough, Tottenham knocked their rivals out of the EFL Cup with a 2:0 away win. That evened things out but there is yet a lot to be fighting for. Both teams are four points apart in the Premier League table with Spurs taking the third place right in front of their city rivals.

Tottenham have a lot to prove after their two consecutive defeats by Burnley and Chelsea. On the other side, Arsenal are back on winning ways but as their inconsistent performance has proven, this might not be a thing to rely on.

Applying high press on Spurs’ and trying to block their build-up might be the best case scenario for Arsenal. As their rivals are going to overload their half with players, they need to make sure the ball stays circulating between the backline and the midfield line. When it comes to the Arsenal, a simple lofted-pass could still make their life miserable and turn the clean sheet into oblivion once again. Some of the team’s defensive issues have been slightly cleared out but the Gunners still have the worst record among the top six with 38 conceded goals.

High press, defensive strategies and vulnerability

Applying a high press and forcing Tottenham’s players into doing individual mistakes might be the way to win the NLD for Arsenal. Blocking the passing lanes in the early stages of the attack would force Spurs to seek unusual ways to deliver the ball further which could result into losing the possession midway with the likes of Lucas Torreira marking his opponents precisely. The Gunners should make sure they’ve covered Winks and Ericksen tightly in order to stop Tottenham’s build-up play.

But this way, they would take the risk of leaving Sissoko as the only option for a forward pass. He is yet to achieve Dembele’s stability in the central areas but if left uncovered, he would be able to combine with either the wing-backs or the full-backs depending on the formation.

This might cause problems for Arsenal’s defensive line as Heung Min-Son usually sits behind it, with his back towards the goal. He would wait to receive the ball and exploit the channels between the defenders, leaving no chance for them to react.