The ESPN FC crew look ahead to Tottenham’s visit to the Emirates where the North London rivals will face off for the first time this season.
It is one of the fiercest derbies around: The North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham. The Gunners and Spurs renew hostilities on Saturday in a pivotal Premier League contest. John Cross (Arsenal) and John Crace (Tottenham) face off ahead of the big one at the Emirates.
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How would you assess your team’s start to the season?
John Cross: Satisfactory. To sit firmly on the fence between good and unbeaten in the league and disappointing after a defeat in the Champions League and exit from the Capital One Cup. Arsenal are unbeaten in the Premier League, but two wins and three draws means they are already off the pace behind leaders Chelsea. I think the Capital One Cup highlighted that the squad is thin; they were worryingly poor against Borussia Dortmund and yet played so well against Man City, and winning at Aston Villa was very impressive. So rather unpredictable.
John Crace: Patchy. A late injury-time winner away to West Ham and a 4-0 home romp against a poor QPR in the first two games of the season led many to believe a corner had been turned. Since then, Mauricio Pochettino has struggled to get his team to fire as Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood had before him, and last weekend’s defeat to West Brom ranked as one of Spurs’ worst performances in the past 10 years. Which is saying something. The last 20 minutes of the midweek Carling One Cup win over Nottingham Forest has been the one ray of hope in the past few weeks.
What do you expect to learn from this match?
J. Cross: The gap between Arsenal and Tottenham. Arsenal have dominated this rivalry during the Arsene Wenger era. Spurs have yet another manager in Mauricio Pochettino, Arsenal have new players, so where do the two teams stand? This will be a good barometer. I think we will also see whether Arsenal, defensively, are strong enough. They are short of numbers in defence; Kieran Gibbs and Per Mertesacker are carrying nagging injuries but will play. How will they fare?
Mauricio Pochettino, left, is the latest Tottenham manager seeking to regain a hold in the North London derby over rivals Arsene Wenger and Arsenal.
J. Crace: The realistic expectation is that Spurs will show they continue to struggle against the best sides in the Premier League as they did last season. The 3-0 home defeat against Liverpool suggested they have yet to develop the technical skills and mental strength to contain teams with world-class players. The key will be not to concede an early goal; if they do, then heads will go down. Spurs also need to show more fight and creativity in midfield.
Sum up the rivalry between the two sides
J. Cross: Pure hatred. Let’s not beat around the bush. The rivalry is bitter, it’s nasty and it’s always sure to provide a fierce game. Arsenal did the double over Spurs last season, and it gives Arsenal fans such pleasure. Even when Spurs are going through barren times, the thought of beating Arsenal makes up for a lot. This is Pochettino’s first derby; he can become an instant hero. Wenger gets it, buys into it and knows what it means. It’s nasty, fierce and angry on the pitch. It’s always a feisty atmosphere. Every fan thinks their derby is the best. This is no different for either.
J. Crace: Where to start? Ever since Arsenal moved from Woolwich in south London to Highbury in 1913, there has been an intense rivalry between the two north London clubs. It’s also a rivalry that Arsenal have had rather the better of in recent years. Though many Spurs fans would be reluctant to say so in public, there is a sneaking regard in Tottenham both for the style of play Arsene Wenger has imposed on his team and for the stability he has brought with him. In the 18 years Wenger has been manager of Arsenal, Spurs have had 18 managers and temporary managers. Enough said.
Which players from the opposition, if any, would make it into your team?
J. Cross: Jan Vertonghen is an excellent defender who can play left back, left of central defence. There used to be a time when journalists would do combined teams, and it seemed more Spurs players would be in than Arsenal players. I think there’s been a big shift now. Arsenal are dominant. They should win. But the derby always makes for the unpredictable. Who is up for it counts over quality on occasion. You can make a big case for Hugo Lloris, but I think Wojciech Szczesny is a good keeper, too.
J. Crace: This is embarrassing — you could make a reasonable case for every one of the Arsenal side making it into the Spurs starting XI. It’s easier to think about who might actually keep their place. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is a better shot-stopper than Wojciech Szczesny but the Arsenal keeper has far better distribution skills. So that could be a 50-50 contest. As is Jan Vertonghen in a head to head with Per Mertesacker. It just depends which Vertonghen turns up. On form, Vertonghen is the better all-round player, but too often in the last year he has appeared less than committed to the Spurs cause. Only this week he announced he wasn’t prepared to renegotiate his contract.
Prediction
J. Cross: I think it will end in a hard-fought 1-1 draw. These games are so hard to call, though. Spurs will be desperate to make a statement.
J. Crace: 2-0 Arsenal. It really is no fun being in the Spurs end at the Emirates when 55,000 Arsenal fans are having the time of their lives.