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Team v Arsenal (A)

gavspur

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,255
8,686
I know Poch will probably play Sissoko and Winks in CM, but I find them so predictable. I have high hopes for Winks, but not as the deeper midfielder. Sissoko has his great storming runs (must see a Dr) but his finesse is always severely lacking. Viera, he ain’t. They just don’t make a great pair I’m afraid. They probably would both benefit being in a three, with A.N.Other as the holding CM.
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
Put Lamela in instead of Parrott and I will winner this, I promise
Haha. Totally forgot about Coco. Still think we should be putting Parrott on the bench most weeks now as an option in the absence of any other centre forwards at the club.
 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
With the team news:

Lloris
Aurier Alderweireld Vertonghen Davies
Sissoko Lo Celso
Eriksen Dele Son
Kane

Gazzaniga Sanchez Rose Winks Lamela Lucas Parrott​
 

FITZ

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2004
2,017
1,518
Llorris

Sanchez. Toby. Jan Rose

Sissoko Winks Eriksen

Son Kane Moura
 

Joeyboey

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2011
1,806
5,260
It’s crazy that so many would take a draw and it really shows how torrid our form is.

Arsenal’s front 3 are top class but they’re hollow in midfield and defence. The 8 other players they field will be average.

It’s been a long long time but if we can click we should be able to dominate midfield and win the game.
 

Hakkz

Svensk hetsporre
Jul 6, 2012
8,196
17,270
It’s crazy that so many would take a draw and it really shows how torrid our form is.

Arsenal’s front 3 are top class but they’re hollow in midfield and defence. The 8 other players they field will be average.

It’s been a long long time but if we can click we should be able to dominate midfield and win the game.

It has more to do with us than them. If we don't show up, then I'm sure their attack will make it count at home.
 

Buggsy61

Washed Up Member
Aug 31, 2012
5,550
8,921
With kwp being out and the significant attacking threat I would go 3-5-2
Lloris
Sanchez Alderweireld Vertonghen
Sissoko Winks Eriksen Alli Rose
Son Kane
 

BENNO

Well-Known Member
Jul 11, 2005
791
3,233
It’s crazy that so many would take a draw and it really shows how torrid our form is.

Arsenal’s front 3 are top class but they’re hollow in midfield and defence. The 8 other players they field will be average.

It’s been a long long time but if we can click we should be able to dominate midfield and win the game.

Yep, that's how i see it - it will be an open and completely different type of game to last week and we have the players and 'style' to dispossess their laughable attempts to play out from the back and cause them huge problems. But you need a team pulling in the same direction and all working for each other to achieve that and if we are a bit 'off' then it could be a disaster (as you suggest, their forward line can definitely hurt us).

I'd have thought Sissoko and Winks in a '2' could boss the midfield and i'd probably look to play Lamela purely for his tenacity in winning the ball back high. I'd also prefer Aurier to play RB if he isn't moving, game is a day before transfer deadline so you would like to think they know if he's going or not !

This is definitely winnable and had this been the first game of the season, fresh from the good pre season results, i'd be lumping on Spurs at the current prices.
 

nasescoba1985

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
847
3,058
The issue with this game is Arsenal almost always turn up against us at the Emirates. They could have the shittest team, awful form and horrendous injuries, yet you can bet they will play like men possessed against us. We certainly have the ability to hurt them and their defence is wank, but they tend to punish us at the Emirates all the time
 

Hakkz

Svensk hetsporre
Jul 6, 2012
8,196
17,270
Our record at the Emirates (league) since our last win 2010:

4–2, 2018
2–0
1–1
1–1
1–1
1–0
5–2
5–2, 2011

They normally show up yeah.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
10,836
33,607
Arsenal v Tottenham: One big game, five big questions:

The north London derby is fast becoming the neutrals’ favourite Premier League game, and we have the ever-whirring tactical brains of Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino to thank for that. Both Arsenal v Tottenham games last season were a frenzy of strategy and counter-strategy – waves of attacks triggered by formation changes and bold substitutions. It was breathless stuff.

Sunday’s game could be the best yet between these two coaches. Arsenal’s summer recruitment means their squad is now perfectly equipped to implement Unai Emery’s tactics – meaning more chaos, not less – while Tottenham’s defeat to Newcastle United last weekend suggested they are arguably as defensively vulnerable as their hosts.

Here are five tactical questions ahead of Arsenal v Tottenham:



1) Will Pochettino’s and Emery’s tactics create another frenzied end-to-end game?
There is no point trying to guess the formations either club will use on Sunday. For starters, in the 1-1 draw in March, Spurs began in a 3-4-1-2 and Arsenal in a 4-2-3-1 while in Arsenal’s 4-2 victory the previous December Arsenal used a 3-4-3 and Tottenham a diamond 4-4-2. But aside from their obvious unpredictability here, Pochettino and Emery will inevitably swap formations, acting and reacting to each other throughout the 90 minutes.

Instead, let’s focus on the rhythms and the patterns that should emerge. Following that ridiculously disordered 4-2 last year, both managers calmed things down a tad for the reverse fixture. Emery was worried about Tottenham’s counters and didn’t press very high up the pitch, instructing both of his full-backs to stay deeper, and Spurs packed the midfield, hitting long balls forward in a cagier manner.

But that doesn’t mean this will be an airless match. New Emery-friendly signings at Arsenal mean they can start to use his Sevilla-era tactics more consistently – deliberately dangerous passing out from the back to draw a Spurs press – in order to create counter-attacking space behind them.

Pochettino will bite, and when Arsenal breakaways break down, Spurs can strike back via Lucas Moura and Son Heung-Min. The visitors will happily go direct to exploit the flaws in Arsenal’s back four, ensuring the pitch becomes stretched and the goals, hopefully, fly in.



2) Which manager’s in-game formation switches will work best?
That should get us through the first half-hour or so, but the tactical tweaks made by both managers will end up defining the contest. In the most recent 1-1 draw, Poch moved Christian Eriksen into central midfield to almost-fatal effect before switching to a bonkers 4-1-1-3 with Danny Rose sprinting maniacally around central midfield.

In the 4-2 in December, Arsenal moved from a wide 3-4-3 to a narrow 3-4-1-2, Spurs moved to mirror it, and then Emery countered again with a diamond 4-4-2 that won Arsenal the game. Similar tricks can be expected this weekend, and although it is impossible to guess exactly what each coach will do we can predict that Emery is more likely to get the upper hand.


The Spaniard’s ability to read the tactical pattern of a game and make a match-winning change is highlighted by the fact Arsenal won 34 points from their first 17 matches of last season – despite never being ahead at half-time. Conversely Pochettino is often accused of making changes too late, or of failing to see when things are stuck; his introduction of Christian Eriksen and Giovani Lo Celso in the 62nd minute against Newcastle, for example, failed to change the tempo.



3) Will Lacazette and Ceballos target Spurs’ stand-in right-back?
Irrespective of the tactical changes to come, there are certain battlegrounds that will define the outcome no matter the formation or approach. An injury to Kyle Walker-Peters, coupled with the news Serge Aurier will not be in the match-day squad, means Moussa Sissoko at right-back for Spurs. In an unnatural position – from which Sissoko is more comfortable getting forward than defending – the midfielder is likely to be caught out, leaving space for Arsenal’s speedy front line.

Unfortunately for Spurs, Arsenal attack down the left flank more frequently than any other Premier League club (47%). Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tend to link up on this side of the pitch, while emerging star Dani Ceballos also has a tendency to occupy spaces on the left. When counter-attacking behind Spurs, this is clearly the most important flank for the hosts.

Worse still for Tottenham, if Pochettino pulls Sissoko out of midfield his side will be significantly weakened in the middle of the park…



4) Will Spurs’ midfield lack the urgency needed to match Arsenal’s?
A growing concern for Tottenham is a sense of stiltedness in central midfield, where sideways passing has become the norm. Without Sissoko or Tanguy Ndombele, it is possible Harry Winks and Eric Dier will make this problem worse against an aggressively pressing Arsenal midfield of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira. Spurs may struggle to wriggle free and, caught flat-footed, allow Arsenal to counter through the middle.

It could also mean Eriksen gets lost (if he starts, that is), resulting in the sort of clumsy long balls forward that defined Tottenham’s approach in the 1-1 draw at Wembley. Arsenal will bring energy and assertiveness in midfield, and judging on their recent performances, Spurs will struggle to match their hosts. Winks needs to be at his very best to evade the Arsenal press with crisp distribution, linking the lines of defence and midfield, or Spurs will struggle for control or structure.

In years gone by Pochettino could rely on diagonal switches to high-quality attacking full-backs, negating the sluggishness of a Mousa Dembele-less midfield by stretching the opposition wide. These days, full-back is arguably the worst area of the Spurs team. Fortunately, it’s Arsenal’s weak spot too.



5) Can Son and Lucas width do damage behind the Arsenal full-backs?
It was completely the wrong strategy against Steve Bruce’s deep-lying 5-3-2, but using Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura as wide forwards could do the trick this Sunday. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is definitely beatable in a one-on-one situation, something Arsenal only avoided at Anfield last weekend because of their surprisingly narrow diamond 4-4-2.

Son and Lucas, regularly switching wings, can also find joy making runs in behind Nacho Monreal, who was increasingly pulled around by Mohamed Salah. Getting the ball out wide to begin with will be Spurs’ biggest problem, but should this match indeed become end-to-end (and both sides’ vulnerable full-backs suggest it will) then Lucas and Son can be released into space by Eriksen’s long, raking balls forward.

https://www.football365.com/news/arsenal-v-tottenham-one-big-game-five-big-questions
 

ShaunL84

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2013
3,725
10,853
I think they're front three will rip us a new one.

This could be over by half time.
 

Ronwol196061

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2018
3,925
3,646
Arsenal v Tottenham: One big game, five big questions:

The north London derby is fast becoming the neutrals’ favourite Premier League game, and we have the ever-whirring tactical brains of Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino to thank for that. Both Arsenal v Tottenham games last season were a frenzy of strategy and counter-strategy – waves of attacks triggered by formation changes and bold substitutions. It was breathless stuff.

Sunday’s game could be the best yet between these two coaches. Arsenal’s summer recruitment means their squad is now perfectly equipped to implement Unai Emery’s tactics – meaning more chaos, not less – while Tottenham’s defeat to Newcastle United last weekend suggested they are arguably as defensively vulnerable as their hosts.

Here are five tactical questions ahead of Arsenal v Tottenham:



1) Will Pochettino’s and Emery’s tactics create another frenzied end-to-end game?
There is no point trying to guess the formations either club will use on Sunday. For starters, in the 1-1 draw in March, Spurs began in a 3-4-1-2 and Arsenal in a 4-2-3-1 while in Arsenal’s 4-2 victory the previous December Arsenal used a 3-4-3 and Tottenham a diamond 4-4-2. But aside from their obvious unpredictability here, Pochettino and Emery will inevitably swap formations, acting and reacting to each other throughout the 90 minutes.

Instead, let’s focus on the rhythms and the patterns that should emerge. Following that ridiculously disordered 4-2 last year, both managers calmed things down a tad for the reverse fixture. Emery was worried about Tottenham’s counters and didn’t press very high up the pitch, instructing both of his full-backs to stay deeper, and Spurs packed the midfield, hitting long balls forward in a cagier manner.

But that doesn’t mean this will be an airless match. New Emery-friendly signings at Arsenal mean they can start to use his Sevilla-era tactics more consistently – deliberately dangerous passing out from the back to draw a Spurs press – in order to create counter-attacking space behind them.

Pochettino will bite, and when Arsenal breakaways break down, Spurs can strike back via Lucas Moura and Son Heung-Min. The visitors will happily go direct to exploit the flaws in Arsenal’s back four, ensuring the pitch becomes stretched and the goals, hopefully, fly in.



2) Which manager’s in-game formation switches will work best?
That should get us through the first half-hour or so, but the tactical tweaks made by both managers will end up defining the contest. In the most recent 1-1 draw, Poch moved Christian Eriksen into central midfield to almost-fatal effect before switching to a bonkers 4-1-1-3 with Danny Rose sprinting maniacally around central midfield.

In the 4-2 in December, Arsenal moved from a wide 3-4-3 to a narrow 3-4-1-2, Spurs moved to mirror it, and then Emery countered again with a diamond 4-4-2 that won Arsenal the game. Similar tricks can be expected this weekend, and although it is impossible to guess exactly what each coach will do we can predict that Emery is more likely to get the upper hand.


The Spaniard’s ability to read the tactical pattern of a game and make a match-winning change is highlighted by the fact Arsenal won 34 points from their first 17 matches of last season – despite never being ahead at half-time. Conversely Pochettino is often accused of making changes too late, or of failing to see when things are stuck; his introduction of Christian Eriksen and Giovani Lo Celso in the 62nd minute against Newcastle, for example, failed to change the tempo.



3) Will Lacazette and Ceballos target Spurs’ stand-in right-back?
Irrespective of the tactical changes to come, there are certain battlegrounds that will define the outcome no matter the formation or approach. An injury to Kyle Walker-Peters, coupled with the news Serge Aurier will not be in the match-day squad, means Moussa Sissoko at right-back for Spurs. In an unnatural position – from which Sissoko is more comfortable getting forward than defending – the midfielder is likely to be caught out, leaving space for Arsenal’s speedy front line.

Unfortunately for Spurs, Arsenal attack down the left flank more frequently than any other Premier League club (47%). Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tend to link up on this side of the pitch, while emerging star Dani Ceballos also has a tendency to occupy spaces on the left. When counter-attacking behind Spurs, this is clearly the most important flank for the hosts.

Worse still for Tottenham, if Pochettino pulls Sissoko out of midfield his side will be significantly weakened in the middle of the park…



4) Will Spurs’ midfield lack the urgency needed to match Arsenal’s?
A growing concern for Tottenham is a sense of stiltedness in central midfield, where sideways passing has become the norm. Without Sissoko or Tanguy Ndombele, it is possible Harry Winks and Eric Dier will make this problem worse against an aggressively pressing Arsenal midfield of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira. Spurs may struggle to wriggle free and, caught flat-footed, allow Arsenal to counter through the middle.

It could also mean Eriksen gets lost (if he starts, that is), resulting in the sort of clumsy long balls forward that defined Tottenham’s approach in the 1-1 draw at Wembley. Arsenal will bring energy and assertiveness in midfield, and judging on their recent performances, Spurs will struggle to match their hosts. Winks needs to be at his very best to evade the Arsenal press with crisp distribution, linking the lines of defence and midfield, or Spurs will struggle for control or structure.

In years gone by Pochettino could rely on diagonal switches to high-quality attacking full-backs, negating the sluggishness of a Mousa Dembele-less midfield by stretching the opposition wide. These days, full-back is arguably the worst area of the Spurs team. Fortunately, it’s Arsenal’s weak spot too.



5) Can Son and Lucas width do damage behind the Arsenal full-backs?
It was completely the wrong strategy against Steve Bruce’s deep-lying 5-3-2, but using Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura as wide forwards could do the trick this Sunday. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is definitely beatable in a one-on-one situation, something Arsenal only avoided at Anfield last weekend because of their surprisingly narrow diamond 4-4-2.

Son and Lucas, regularly switching wings, can also find joy making runs in behind Nacho Monreal, who was increasingly pulled around by Mohamed Salah. Getting the ball out wide to begin with will be Spurs’ biggest problem, but should this match indeed become end-to-end (and both sides’ vulnerable full-backs suggest it will) then Lucas and Son can be released into space by Eriksen’s long, raking balls forward.

https://www.football365.com/news/arsenal-v-tottenham-one-big-game-five-big-questions


1. I don't think we have a choice,I think we need to go direct at them. If they are directing traffic in the middle its going to be a real problem. Ndombele would have been the difference

3. I would put Sanchez at right back,if only to get him out of the middle.He also can tackle well from that position. At CB he can be a scary pick as his positioning is not great.

4. I think both teams with have an urgency about them

5. Lucas and Son can take on the backs and win

We need to buy time and space for Harry Kane.he can destory their defence
 

BENNO

Well-Known Member
Jul 11, 2005
791
3,233
I think they're front three will rip us a new one.

This could be over by half time.

Really ? I'd agree that they could IF we are not united as a squad, but purely on footballing terms i can't see why they would given that we have the option of playing Sissoko and Winks in midfield in front of (two from) Jan/Toby/Sanchez and either Davies or Rose at left back and with the option of Toby,Aurier or even Dier at RB (not ideal but better than taking Sissoko out of the middle and playing him there imo).

That's a strong enough defence and midfield, basically the same set of players who've proved over and over that they are capable of competing with the best teams around so not sure why Arsenals front 3 are suddenly such a massive worry ?
 

Maske2g

SC Supporter
Feb 1, 2005
4,257
1,726
Lloris
Aurier Toby Jan Rose
Dier Sissoko
Eriksen Alli Son
Kane

Gaz Davies Sanchez Winks Lo Celso Moura Parrott

Need a right back to play right back. Nothing else will do.
Sanchez not good enough this season
Rose Big game player
Physically strong in centre midfield
Alli making runs beyond Kane, something no player is doing.
Eriksen roaming into awkward spaces from out wide, the only way he will get time and space on the ball.
Son, better against a side that won't sit deep.

WInks, not good enough this season
Lo Celso, not played enough.
Moura, impact, not been good enough this season.
Lamella, good one...

Had he been fit, N'dombele would have been in the middle for Dier.

If we play a team anything like the 3 that have lined up so far, we will be embarrassed in my opinion.
 
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