Tottenham Vs Arsenal: Match Thread

[chrissivad]

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Spurs 0 - 1 Arsenal
Rosicky
​

Spurs: Lloris; Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose; Sandro (Paulinho); Townsend, Bentaleb, Eriksen (Soldado), Chadli( Sigurdsson); Adebayor
Subs: Friedel, Walker, Lennon ,Kane

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Arteta, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski, Cazorla, Giroud
Subs: Fabianski, Monreal, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Flamini, Gnabry Sanogo

Ref: Mike Dean

BBC Live Text
17:50 YELLOW CARD - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Soldado
17:37 SUBSTITUTION - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
The White Hart Lane faithful don't like it. Creative fulcrum Christian Eriksen is sacrificed to make way for Roberto Soldado as Tim Sherwood goes two up front.
17:35 YELLOW CARD - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Mathieu Flamini scoops away Christian Eriksen's ankles as the Dane gets away from him on the left. It brings a possible Spurs counter to an early end and ensures his place in Mike Dean's little black book.
17:30 YELLOW CARD - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Jan Vertonghen gives away a free-kick and picks up a booking as he goes in heavily on Santi Cazorla. It almost gets a lot worse for the Dutchman but he gets away with a sly tug on Laurent Koscielny's shirt from the set-piece. That could easily have been a penalty.
17:25 SUBSTITUTION - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal replace goalscorer Tomas Rosicky with Mathieu Flamini. Is that Arsene Wenger locking the game down? Twenty minutes remain...
17:24 SUBSTITUTION- Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Changes afoot. First Tottenham replace Sandro with Paulinho and Nacer Chadli with Gylfi Sigurdsson....
HALF TIME Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
16:45 YELLOW CARD - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Kieran Gibbs leaves his studs in on Andros Townsend and has his name taken by Mike Dean.
16:31 YELLOW CARD -Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal
Nacer Chadli is booked for a hack at the heels of Tomas Rosicky and Sandro is fortunate not to join him as he grabs Mike Dean on the shoulder to defend his team-mate.
Dean reacted like Sandro had just placed something unmentionable on his lapels,
16:21 YELLOW CARD - Sagna
Tottenham fans and players are baying for red and Bacary Sagna's tackle on Danny Rose is none too clever, sending the Tottenham full-back into a full flip with pike. Sagna went in very hard but did get a snip of ball and that probably saves him.
Mike Dean produces yellow from his top left.
16:01 GOAL - Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal - Tomas Rosicky
An absolute grade-A thunderbolt from the left peg of Tomas Rosicky. Arsenal's first attack seems to have floundered on a piece of miscontrol from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but Rosicky thrashes a laser-like shot straight down the barrel and into the top corner from the angle. What a start.
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[chrissivad]

Tottenham Vs Arsenal
Premier League
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Sunday 16th March Kick Off: 16:00​

For more on live coverage please visit Geez's Live Media Thread​

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Derby day at White Hart Lane as Tottenham host Arsenal


North London rivalries will be rekindled on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur welcome Arsenal to White Hart Lane for derby day.

There will be plenty riding on an encounter between two fierce foes, with both chasing targets set out at the start of the season.

Spurs' ambition this term was to secure a return to the UEFA Champions League, and they sit four points adrift of the top four at present.

They can ill afford any more slip-ups if they are to stand any chance of staging a late surge into Europe's premier club competition as they have already played at least one game more than the three sides sat directly above them.

Tim Sherwood's side, who have suffered four defeats in their last six outings in all competitions, will also be aware that the likes of Manchester United and Everton sit within touching distance just below them and harbour ambitions of snatching continental football for next season.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are still setting their sights on the Premier League title.

Their situation is similar to Spurs', though, in that they need to avoid any wobbles if they are to remain in that particular hunt.

Leaders Chelsea have opened up a seven-point lead at the summit and closing that gap will be no easy task.

The Gunners are, however, now focused purely on domestic matters after tumbling out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich in midweek - with FA Cup success also in their sights.

Arsene Wenger's men can take heart from the fact that they have already seen off Spurs twice at Emirates Stadium this season, in league and cup competition, but will be aware that they have gone seven years (September 2007) without a three-point haul at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham
Tottenham will have defender Younes Kaboul available after his controversial red card in last weekend's 4-0 defeat to Chelsea was overturned on appeal.

Mousa Dembele could also come back into contention after Sherwood opted not to risk him in Europa League action against Benfica in midweek - a game which saw Kyle Walker return at right-back.

Spurs will, however, be without centre-halves Michael Dawson (hamstring) and Vlad Chiriches (back), midfielder Etienne Capoue (ankle) and record signing Erik Lamela (thigh and back) - with the latter battling to figure again before the end of the campaign.


Arsenal
Arsenal will be without midfielder Mesut Ozil for at least three weeks because of a hamstring tear.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will return from a midweek European suspension while full-back Nacho Monreal and striker Yaya Sanogo have recovered from foot injuries.

Midfielder Kim Kallstrom (back) could be in the squad for the first time. However, defender Kieran Gibbs (calf) remains a doubt, midfielder Aaron Ramsey (thigh) is still a couple of weeks away from full fitness, while Jack Wilshere (foot), Theo Walcott and Abou Diaby (both knee) remain out.

Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul is available after winning an appeal against his sending off at Chelsea.

However, Michael Dawson is sidelined by a hamstring injury and Kyle Walker is doubtful with a pelvic problem.

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil is out with a damaged hamstring, while Aaron Ramsey's comeback has been deferred after he suffered a minor setback.

Nacho Monreal and Yaya Sanogo are both fit and Kim Kallstrom could also be involved, but Kieran Gibbs is a doubt.

Injuries are overshadowing this crucial North London derby. Spurs must respond to Tim Sherwood's tongue-lashing to get back into contention for a top-four place. But Arsenal will surely be out of the title running if they suffer back-to-back league defeats for the first time in 14 months.

Tottenham's defensive woes were exposed by Benfica on Thursday. Younes Kaboul went absent at two set-pieces and they looked vulnerable in the air. Olivier Giroud and Arsenal's centre-backs could have a field day - remember that Per Mertesacker scored home and away against Spurs last season.

The loss of Michael Dawson to a hamstring problem is untimely on top of injuries to Vlad Chiriches and Etienne Capoue. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose didn't look fully match-fit on Thursday either.

Tottenham are struggling with a lack of confidence. Was Sherwood's blast at his players right? I found it refreshing to hear a manager give an honest, heartfelt appraisal of his team. At Chelsea the defence was shocking. It is time a few harsh words were spoken.

I expect whatever team he can pick to come out firing. They will try to expose Arsenal in wide positions and get quality service into Emmanuel Adebayor, who has 12 goals in North London derbies shared between the two clubs and loves this occasion.

The Togolese giant has been one of the few players to be exempt from the manager's criticism - he has looked really hungry and sharp, as 11 goals in 17 games under Sherwood proves.

Is it a good time to face Arsenal? They were terrific against Everton in the FA Cup and deserved a draw at Bayern Munich. But it cost them Mesut Ozil and now their most creative players - Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Ozil - are all missing.

I presume Mathieu Flamini will be recalled to stiffen the midfield but it will take a huge effort from the Gunners to notch up a treble of victories against the auld enemy this campaign.

The pendulum has swung back their way in the derby. But I can't see anything between the two sides and I'm afraid a draw won't suit either.

Head-to-head

• Arsenal have not won on any of their last five league visits to White Hart Lane (D2, L3), losing their last two matches there 2-1.
• Their last victory at Tottenham was a 3-1 win on 15 September 2007, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice.
• Tottenham are seeking their 50th league win over the Gunners.

Tottenham Hotspur

• Spurs have netted 16 times in their 14 home league games this season. Prior to this weekend, it was the lowest tally in the top half of the Premier League table.
• They are unbeaten in the 16 league games in which they have scored first this season, winning 13 of those matches.
• Of the 37 goals Tottenham have conceded in the Premier League, 20 have come in four games (home and away to Manchester City, plus away to Liverpool and Chelsea).
• According to Opta statistics, Tottenham have made 13 errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season, three more than any other side. Three of them came last weekend against Chelsea.

Arsenal

• The Gunners have won only two of their last six league games (W2, D2, L2).
• Defeat would see the Gunners lose three successive away league games for the first time since August-October 2011. The third game in that sequence was a 2-1 loss to Tottenham on 2 October.
• Arsenal have conceded 21 of their 28 goals this season away from home.
• They have kept only one clean sheet in their last seven away league games, conceding a total of 16 goals.

__________________________________________________________________

Match Day Chatroom​

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[THFCSPURS19]

“Mousa Dembele, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kyle Walker are all struggling,” said Tim after training on Friday.

/thread

 

[mpickard2087]

Anyone confident?

Thought not.

 

[EnfieldYiddo]

Don't know what to expect, if we win I doubt it'll be due to a great team performance.

The team look like they've lost any cohesion they had, mess at the moment.

 

[riggi]

Lock and take off front page nearer the time. This weekend never Happend.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Fuck this shit... I'm off to the pub. See you all Monday!

 

[thinktank]

Don't know what to expect, if we win I doubt it'll be due to a great team performance.

The team look like they've lost any cohesion they had, mess at the moment.

Really? lol I do. Gonna watch just to see how tim goes about trying to contain them. I think that will be fascinating to watch.

 

[Mattspur]

I'm not looking forward to this.

 

[WiganSpur]

a 5-0 drubbing. Lloris MoM.

 

[mpickard2087]

Ok, how many do you all think we will concede then?

Using the ratings as a poll:

Clean sheet - Winner.
1 goal - like.
2-3 goals - optimistic.
4-5 goals - dislike
6-7 goals - doh.
8(+) goals - wtf.

Rate away...

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

“Mousa Dembele, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kyle Walker are all struggling,” said Tim after training on Friday.

/thread

No need to worry, as Siggy is fit again!!

 

[chinaman]

No need to worry, as Siggy is fit again!!

Has Siggy been sick?

 

[only1waddle]

Has Siggy been sick?

Been out most of the season with a bout of invisibility..

 

[lillywhites61]

I am really not looking forward to this! Really not!! Glad I am working and then I can decide if I am to watch it later dependant on how the spanking goes

 

[thinktank]

a 5-0 drubbing. Lloris MoM.

I actually think that will be the score. 4 at the very least.

 

[Spurger King]

Watching this match feels like going for a rectal examination. You don't want to do it, you'd rather be doing almost anything else, you know it's going to be embarrassing, but it's something that just has to be done.

 

[Davious]

I know it's not very supportive of me to say, but I'm fully expecting another embarassment. Arsenal's style of play will demolish our team if the players continue their pattern of mistakes. Morale is low all around but I hope we see some positives on Sunday!

 

[jolsnogross]

I'm quite looking forward to this. I've liberated my mind a little of any expectation of achievement this year and I'd recommend it to you all. We might finish fifth, maybe not, but we wont finish higher than that and we'll be out of the Europa in one game's time. We probably wont beat any team that are better than us, but we may well win most of the games against the so-called fodder. Maybe that'll earn an optimistic rating.

I'm hoping we'll play some decent risky attacking football and as long as we make a game of it, I'll be happy. Unfortunately for me, Sherwood has, on occasion, morphed into AVB and played too many players out of position or been too negative in his approach. I'd like to him to revert to his initial approach as manager, like Southampton away, when he trusted our players to have possession and do something useful with it.

I thought the Kane selection last night was a bit mad, and expected to be able to agree with some Sherwood bashers on the match thread. But a glance through the last few pages of that suggested I was better off not delving in there - some people must have thought Benfica is a side from a quiet little backwater of the Algarve, while others have jumped the shark in their adoration of AVB and maybe the fewer online interactions they have, the better.

So, I'd like to see the team for Arsenal built around Eriksen in the #10 position. Against Arsenal, we should only play one striker ahead of him, but part of me says screw that and if they are feeling vulnerable, maybe we could stick it to them with Adebayor and Soldado in a 4-3-3. Our wide players aren't doing much anyway, so why persist with sticking them on the wing only to deceive. But, perhaps a more sensible but still attacking line up would include just one striker ahead of Eriksen, two wide players next to him, and two midfielders behind him. And then repeat that for the rest of the season, even if Eriksen has an off day or we continue to frustrate in terms of results. If we trust our better players to do good things with the ball, we should take some pressure off our need to defend so much or our tendency to always look like other sides are playing us on the break effectively. We should beat the teams we're superior to, as has been the case most of the season, and we'll probably continue to lose to teams better than us, but at least we'll have a clever player at the heart of our side.

 

[felmani26]

Ok, how many do you all think we will concede then?

Using the ratings as a poll:

Clean sheet - Winner.
1 goal - like.
2-3 goals - optimistic.
4-5 goals - dislike
6-7 goals - doh.
8(+) goals - wtf.

Rate away...

What's the rating for Tim Sherwood doing an Alan Pardew on Wenger?