We’ll be watching the 198th North London Derby live on Sky Sports on Sunday, taking a look at the big talking points as Arsenal and Tottenham host one of English football’s fiercest rivalries…
A great week for Arsenal | Can Spurs remain unbeaten?
Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Chelsea – all in 7 days. Is this the week that decides Arsenal’s season?
First up is the North London derby, the biggest game on the club’s fixture calendar. And a few days later Harry Kane, perhaps the best striker in the world, arrives at the Emirates. Next up is Chelsea. Mikel Arteta described Enzo Maresca’s side as “the best attacking team in the league” earlier this year. It’s a massive run.
Sunday, November 23rd, 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
If they win all three, Arsenal will go top of the Premier League and Champions League. I would probably back Arsenal as favorites to win either league. Wherever they fail, they will see that Mikel Arteta’s side have a lot of work to do to achieve that status, especially with Man City on the coattails of the Premier League.
Ironically, if Arsenal want to know how tough that run is, just ask the women’s team. Rene Sleggers’ team faced exactly those three opponents in a row and failed to win any of them, leaving their season in tatters.
Arsenal’s men’s team did not have the same leeway, otherwise all their early-season momentum would have evaporated.
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Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry previews Sunday’s north London derby as Gunners host Spurs
Spurs’ unbeaten away record in the Premier League and Europe this season will face its toughest scrutiny in four days.
Spurs have only won a league game at the Emirates Stadium once – a 3-2 come-from-behind victory under Harry Redknapp exactly 15 years ago – while they have avoided defeat just once in their last five league visits to the stadium.
If Frank’s side can maintain their perfect away league form on Sunday, another all-around test awaits them on Wednesday to see if they maintain their unbeaten away record in the Champions League when they face holders Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s a great week ahead for the two North London clubs.
Eze’s awkward meeting with Spurs
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Eberechi Eze was introduced to Arsenal fans at the Emirates!
Wednesday, August 20th was the day that everything changed.
Eberechi Eze was on his way to Tottenham when he called Mikel Arteta. As the Arsenal manager was about to attend a board meeting, Eze asked if it was possible that his boyhood club were still interested in him ahead of a move to their arch-rivals.
By the end of the day, Arsenal had lost Kai Havertz to a long-term knee injury earlier in the week, but he was back in action against Eze. Eze’s one phone call changed the game, giving Arsenal’s attack momentum and Spurs a boost.
“You could see how much he wanted to come,” Arteta said of his phone conversation with Eze on Saturday after the new midfielder was signed on the dotted line.
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In August, Sky Sports News reporter Kabe Solhekol explained how Arsenal hijacked Tottenham’s move for Eze.
Despite being a high-profile move, Eze is biding his time for life at Arsenal. The signs are there, but with two goals and three assists in 15 games, some are hoping for more.
Eze has already scored for Arsenal against his former club at Crystal Palace. A goal against the team he almost joined would put his Gunners career back on track.
Simmons struggles to replace Eze at Spurs
If Eze’s start at Arsenal was a bit slow, Xavi Simons hasn’t even been able to get into action at Spurs.
The player, who Tottenham moved after Eze’s late change of heart, is yet to score in his first 14 games.
The £51m signing has struggled to adapt to the pace, power and intensity of the Premier League, but that will be on full display in Sunday’s game.
However, there are signs that Simmons is starting to find his footing at Tottenham. He was named player of the match in the 4-0 home win against Copenhagen in the Champions League, and when he came on as a substitute in the 2-2 home draw against Man United, he was booed by fans who enjoyed his good performance.
The 22-year-old’s confidence and form continued to trend in the right direction during the international break, as he scored in the Netherlands’ 4-0 home win over Lithuania, helping them qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
Xavi Simons scored for the Netherlands during the November international break
Simmons will now be looking to score his first goal against Tottenham’s fiercest rivals, but his creativity and flash are desperately needed if Thomas Frank’s side are to win anything from the Emirates.
Will injured players from both sides return?
Injuries have been a big problem for these two rivals this season.
Arsenal ended the international break without Martin Odegaard, Victor Gokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke all absent.
And while some players could return on Sunday, there is another blow to the defense with Gabriel set to miss Arsenal’s big week after suffering an adductor problem in Brazil’s friendly against Senegal at the Emirates Stadium.
That Brazil-Senegal match also caused injury problems for Spurs, with midfielder Pape Sarr being sent off in the second half.
But there was a sense of relief on Friday as Frank confirmed Sarr was fit to face Arsenal.
The return of several key players, including Lukas Bergvall, Mohamed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani, also added to the number of injuries. The latter will have to wear a protective mask if he plays after sustaining a jaw injury against Man United.
A battle of set-piece masters!
Arsenal and Spurs are united in their joy of set-pieces. If the real prize were goals from set pieces, Sunday’s clash would be the title decider.
The comparison goes further. When Arsenal’s set-piece guru Nicolas Jobar left Brentford for Man City in 2019, he was replaced at the Bees a year later by Andreas Jorgesson, who is now Spurs’ set-piece coach.
Not only that, but the two North London teams rely on set pieces for many of their chances. These two teams rank second and third in percentage of overall expected goals from dead balls.
At the top of that list is Sunderland. He used a set piece to create a chink in Arsenal’s armor in the 2-2 draw before the international break. Dan Ballard’s goal from a free-kick put the Gunners behind in the game. That means three of the four goals Arsenal have conceded this season have come from set pieces.
There were similar concerns last season, with 14 of the 27 goals Arsenal conceded in the league last season coming from set pieces. If Sunderland can exploit this weakness in Arsenal’s system, so can Spurs.
Frank’s slow attack
But if Spurs’ set-piece game stumbles against the Emirates, the spotlight will be firmly on Tottenham’s open-play threat.
Despite Spurs being tied for fourth in the Premier League this season as top scorers (19 goals) and boasting the best shot conversion rate of any team, the underlying numbers tell a different story.
Spurs outscored xG by almost eight goals, making it the biggest overperformance in the league. They also rank at the bottom of the league for through passes attempted (4) and completed (2), but have fewer shots than Tottenham and have only two teams create chances.
Frank has also struggled with the long injury list and lacked confidence in his best attack, using 16 different attack combinations in 18 games across all competitions this season.
The Danes have only started with the same attacking combination in consecutive games twice this season, the last time coming in the first two games of October, when Kudus, Simmons and Wilson Odbert lined up behind striker Matthijs Tell.
And that front four could very well start against the Emirates after Tell came off the bench to score the equalizer in the draw with Manchester United and claimed a starting place against a disappointed Richarlison.
Odbert came off the bench even in the draw and contributed to Tell’s build-up to the goal, making a huge impact in stoppage time by supplying a cross for Richarlison’s header and allowing Manchester United to equalize minutes later.
Spurs’ attack is heavily biased towards the right flank, with Kudus and right-back Pedro Polo creating the most chances for Tottenham this season.
That’s why Frank should start Odbert on the left wing and Destiny Oudogie at left back on Sunday to improve the balance.
Udogi has had a stop-start season due to injuries, but his performances off the bench in recent games against Copenhagen and then Man United caught the eye.
Udogi’s drive from left-back gives the left side a real width that Jed Spence, who flips with his right foot, cannot. Therefore, the impetus from the Italian national team’s defense should help improve the speed of their sputtering attack.
