Pass & Move – The War for the North (Of London)
Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham
Arsenal vs Tottenham has always been one of the best rivalries in the Premier League… but it’s never been the best. It’s like the fun, accessible accounts man compared to the serious businessmen in the boardroom. The decision makers. People laugh and enjoy a 4-4 draw between these two but when Manchester United loses to City, or Liverpool to United, or even Arsenal to Chelsea, people cry. Those ones define title runs, they have relevance beyond the usual local pride.
But then you watch this season and there’s a legitimate argument to be made that these are the two form teams. Especially after City were held by Villa earlier in the day. Spurs haven’t lost since their first game of the season and Arsenal are putting up their most sustained title challenge in years. The two met at the Emirates with all sorts to prove. This one mattered.
It feels like the first time in ages when both of these teams have been able to field a top class goalkeeper. The first time in ages when both of them have had a central defence to actually be proud of. When both have had a stable and rewarding manager and a centre forward capable of scoring goals for fun (well, Arsenal are split between two, but they’ve each been banging ‘em in). And their midfields are stacked, as per usual. Arsenal were playing for first place on the table. A Spurs victory and they’d be one win off that summit.
Crucially for the Gunners, Laurent Koscielny was fit to play, coming in for Gabriel after the Brazilian was ripped to bloody shreds by Bayern Munich midweek. Kosc started beside Big Per, who would have been ripped to shreds himself but he stood off so far that they couldn’t reach him. Arsenal are a far better side when Koscielny plays, it’s not even a question. He’s their best defender by a long margin and their best leader at the back too (not including the incomparable Petr Cech). Kosc ties it all together like Lebowsi’s rug. The rest was as expected, Joel Campbell holding his spot with injuries to Ramsey, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain, which also meant Olly Giroud up front. Matty Debuchy started in place of the injured Hector Bellerin. His loss was a big one for Arsenal too, possibly more than any of those other attacking players. Bellerin’s speed up the line makes him a genuine weapon and his defensive game is starting to match his attacking one too.
Spurs, they were exactly as you’d figure. Kyle Walker promised that this would be a breakthrough season for him and – shockingly – so far it has been. He’s been very good. But if you’re looking for breakthrough players then Eric Dier and Dele Alli at the base of midfield are the ones to focus on. Despite a combined age of 40 they’ve established themselves as one of the Premier League’s best midfield tandems, especially on the defensive side of things. Mousa Dembele starts in front of them, his recent resurgence capped by a wonderful winner off the bench in the Europa League the other day. Harry Kane led the line.
Arsene Wenger was asked beforehand if he thought that this was the best Spurs team he’s ever played against. It doesn’t have Gareth Bale so there’s that against it, but it might still be. Arsene deflected the question, of course. The thing is: Spurs have never been much good away to Arsenal. Not in this generation anyway. There have been some classic games at White Hart Lane but Spurs have only ever won once at the Emirates and just twice away to Arsenal since the Premier League began in 1992.
They started with intent though. There wasn’t a lot of room in the midfield – there never is against Arsenal – but they were able to skip that problem by hitting them on the counter. Erik Lamela made a nice run early on but Kane wasn’t ready for the pass (he shoulda just shot, as should have Eriksen a minute earlier). Rushing forward creates gaps too, and Arsenal were happy to counter those counters with their own counters, though they soon settled into their standard patient, possessive, front third style.
Tottenham came in with a game plan. They pressed hard and they weren’t scared of a long ball, which is never a bad option against Arsenal. Kane’s got a bit of pace and if you can win the ball cheaply and send it deep then you’re gonna find him isolated on defenders. Without Bellerin playing, Kane’s taking most of them for speed if the bounce falls his way, and even if he’s not the strongest striker out he has this weaving way of dribbling to hold the ball up-field until support arrives. Both Lamela and Eriksen were very keen to drift inwards, a trend made more effective because their opponents aren’t really ones to hold their width either. For both sides it’d need to be the fullbacks offering that aspect. Just look at the first half averages for Spurs:
All clumped in the middle, there to disrupt and erupt.
It took 25 minutes before we had a clear chance at goal. Eriksen with one of his trademarked brilliant set pieces, finding Dier at the far post whose header went comfortably wide. For some reason he was completely unmarked.
Spurs had found themselves on top by then. By not letting the Gunners have any time on the ball, they were able to wrestle the game further forward. Dominating the loose balls and playing with a little more intent to attack.
So it’s fitting that they took the lead thanks to a combination of all of these factors. Dembele was first to the ball after Debuchy had risen to head away a lob downfield by Alderweireld (who’d been able to stroll 15 metres forward to under zero pressure from Giroud to cross halfway – see here: ).
Campbell was able to stab it away from Dembele but only to Vertongen, who went wide to Rose who himself spotted Harry Kane wandering wide to find some space between the centre backs. Mertesacker had stepped up onto Eriksen who looked to be the initial outlet, and Koscielny didn’t follow Kane’s run or Metesacker’s line. Great movement by Kane, he beat the offside trap and the beat Petr Cech too for the goal.
If Koscielny steps up earlier then it’s offside, no problem. But that doesn’t mean it’s strictly his fault. The communication between he and Mertesaker was the main issue. Not moving as a pair, there’s far too much room between them here.
Vertongen and Giroud then had a little scuffle off the ball that added a little more heat to a clash that was already getting testy, as games tend to do when the home side falls behind to a bitter rival.
At half time Arsenal had had 56% of the ball but you wouldn’t know it based on the state of the game. They were losing possession too easily and that was coming from the lack of space around them and the lack of time they had to make decisions. The Gunners with just one shot in the half.
So Wenger reacted. Off came Cazorla and on came Flamini, presumably to add more steel to the midfield. Cazorla’s a far better passer of the ball (better than most anyone) but maybe Arsene thought that having more of a force there, more of a strict two-man shield rather than Caz who likes to make his way forwards, would work to disperse the Spurs front four. Wenger later suggested that Cazorla was feeling dizzy so that was probably it.
Whatever it was, they started the second half with promise, Joel Campbell drawing a good low save out of Lloris. Spurs knocked them back again using the same old strategy of playing it long and trying to hold Arsenal in behind their attacking mids but soon it was Giroud nodding one off the crossbar from a deep free kick off the left boot of Ozil.
Mesut Ozil is a great example of why writing off foreign players in their first season is a ridiculously impulsive thing to do. It takes time to settle into a new country, a new team and a new league. There are all sorts of factors that come into play here and while some waltz in as if it was their destiny (like Alexis Sanchez), others take one maybe even two seasons to settle. Remember the criticism Ozil dealt with over his first two seasons? (Two seasons that included some major injuries). Now look at him. He’s back to his Real Madrid form where he set up goals for fun. He literally did for fun in Madrid, he had Ronaldo before him.
The little German swept in another couple danger balls, one that Koscielny headed across goal and another that Giroud flicked achingly past the post. From the middle of the goal, Olly had either post to aim for so long as he put it within them and he missed. So close, he should really have done better. (It’s also another example in the long list of teams (nearly) suffering for not having players on the posts).
Those kinds of scares can increase the nerves of the side that miss them as the thought that ‘this ain’t gonna be our day’ starts settling in. But they do a lot to frighten the team in front too, who suddenly realise how perilous their advantage is. There was an hour gone by now and Arsenal were fighting back.
Eriksen then made Cech work after some nice work from Walker, before Kane slammed one across goal after waltzing into space again. Koscielny was able to rise above Kane and then Alderweireld hit the keeper from the corner. Spurs were in danger and they responded by going on the attack themselves. It was frantic on both sides, a desperate game.
And so Arsene Wenger went for his trump card. His ace up the sleeve: Theo Walcott. No, wait, he was injured. Danny Welbeck. Oh, same problem. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain? Aaron Ramsey? Jack Wilshere? Nope, it was Kieran Gibbs. The fullback on for Joel Campbell and on to play left wing.
Speaking of injuries, Spurs were able to bring on Son Heung-Min for his return. The Korean was so impressive early on in his Tottenham tenure but injury has kept him out recently. Son’s also the dude that says he was told after joining Spurs that he wouldn’t be allowed to buy a red card thanks to this rivalry. He knows what it’s all about. Son replaced Lamela, who has become a much more effective player since adding more defensive effort into his game. He’s quick and skilful and the harder he works, the more he makes things happen. Son’s a more typical midfielder in that he’s much better off the ball. Yet he didn’t get much to do before Gibbs levelled the scores.
The subs had taken the steam out of Tottenham and Arsenal had found a late wind. After a couple pokes and prods, Ozil whipped in a ball to the far post that Gibbs was able to beat Walker to and somehow squeeze it in between keeper and post. Of all of the many possible heroes in this game, he would have been at some very long odds.
But you have to credit a fantastic cross from Ozil. Walker should have been able to get to it but he was distracted by the man and that’ll have had something to do with the little mano a mano that the pair immediately settled into, Gibbs running at Walker and Walker trying to beat him for pace. Lloris ought to have done better too, to be fair. He could only palm at the ball as he fell back, unable to set himself for the shot.
Clearly Arsenal were lifted by the goal. Mertesacker and Giroud both had acrobatic volleys that didn’t worry Lloris, while the Frenchman did better in stifling another Gibbs run onto another cross to the far post. Both teams made subs to shore up their defence, Mikel Arteta replacing the exhausted Debuchy (Flamini to right back) and Ryan Mason replacing the if-he-wasn’t-exhausted-then-he’s-a-bloody-cyborg Dele Alli. Alli was irrepressible, often the furthest midfielder back and sometimes the furthest forward too. Not everything he tried paid off but this Spurs performance would have been nothing close without him. Dembele too, as well as Alderweireld and, yes, Kyle Walker, all of whom were very good.
Having run so far and worked so hard to get to this point, Spurs seemed happy for the draw and they did what they could to slow it down. With a bit of that and some decent defending, they were able to see their way to a more-than-deserved point.
Spurs were the better team for long stretches but they didn’t have the same imminent menace of a goal that Arsenal have. Coming off of European games, both sides were probably tired as it went on but Spurs (who had a day less to recover) clearly suffered more. It may have cost them three points.
But then you also shouldn’t take away from how well they played for long stretches of this game. Nor can you take away from the guts that the Gunners showed in wrestling for a point despite not being on their top game against a team with a very effective plan. So much of that came from their off the ball efforts. Mesut Ozil was easily the most creative Gunner on the park but his defensive contributions paled in comparison to his counterpart Mousa Dembele. The fact that Arsenal relied so much on set pieces showed how well organised Tottenham were. In a weird way, both managers came away as winners. Wenger for his daring substitutions and Pochettino for a cleverly designed match strategy.
Man of the Match: Let’s hear a little more love for Dele Alli. Can you believe he’s only 19? This lad is physical and he’s fit. He can spot a pass and he’s confident enough to carry the ball forward on attack. He showed all of that in this game. It’s ridiculous that a player so young looks so comfortable at this level – especially one that was playing league two a year ago.
The Good
Crystal Palace – Hey, blame the Reds if you want but Palace went and beat Liverpool fair and square and on merit. The Reds had no answer to a Palace team with a powerful defence that really came at them on the break, in that second half especially. Scott Dann is a damn fine player, if you’ve never had that realisation before.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) – He’s now scored in his last 9 games and counting. One more equals Ruud Van Nisterlrooy’s PL record. No more scepticism, just optimism.
Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) – Lucky Louis spends all that cash on speedy wingers and it turns out he had a great one already on the books. To be fair to LVG, he actually started Lingard in his first Premier League game in charge (a 2-1 loss in Swansea last season) but Lingard sustained a serious injury early in the game and wouldn’t play again for the first team ‘til this year. He got one shot off the bench, did well, and seems to have forced his way into the team now. His assist in the Champions League was good. His goal in this game was great.
The Bad
Chelsea – This one calls for more in-depth research so we’ll settle for this thought: When is this gonna end? If Chelsea pick up points at the same rate that they did during last season from here on in (2.29 per game), then they’ll finish up on 70. Manchester United made the Champions League with that total last time out – which was the lowest points total for a fourth placed team since 2011-12.
Manchester City’s Strike Corps – Aaaaand now Wilfried Bony’s injured. Your turn, Kelechi Iheanacho.
The Ugly
The Scourge of Stevie G – Of course, Mr Gerrard would find his way back to Anfield to watch for the first time since he left and it would be a game against Palace. And of course they would lose – just in his final game as a player there.
That Stoke Steward – The guy who claimed he was barged over by Diego Costa late in the game as Costa retrieved the ball for a throw in. Chelsea called the claim “utter nonsense”. The referee is duty bound to follow up on the complaint but it’s unlikely anything comes of this: