Error, saves and incredibly many emotions.
Tottenham deserve the defeat
– Someone lied to Tottenham players that they’ve been playing football since the 46th minute. And they believed, like children in a babayka. The first half often fails. It is clear that the coach is to blame. Conte offered nothing but diagonals in hopes Kane and Son would connect. How exactly did Tottenham plan to defeat an opponent at home, who at Premier League lost only once? The answer was not seen even after the break.
– Arsenal initially put pressure on Spurs, who were playing without Bentancourt. The hosts did not have time to block attacks with Partey, Dzhaku, Odegaard and Zinchenko after Alexander’s traditional moves to the center of the field. By moving the left fullback to the centre, Arsenal switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation, or raised the game to a 2-5-3 formation, which allowed them to saturate the center of the field, opening up the right flank for the ‘attack.
– Sessegnon hasn’t kept up with his opponent – Saka. And although White was in no hurry to risk, he kept an eye on Son, a one-on-one match was enough. Bukayo slid to the sharp-angled gate and fired. There was a small rebound, Lloris panicked, the ball from his hands jumped into the goal. Classic goalkeeper mistake. Hugo was nervous at the World Cup, after which he left the French team, he was nervous in the first half of the derby. Later he recovered, landed a long range shot from Odegaard. And again he made a mistake after the dane’s insidious shot, when the ball jumped to the ground, like a pebble thrown on the waterfalls.
– Even if they gave the ball to Tottenham – or took it themselves, it doesn’t change the essence of the matter, Conte’s team was forced to play football that was uncomfortable for them. After conceding two goals before the break, it’s hard to recover. Especially if the opposing goalkeeper is fine. Son played a weak game, Kane moved the field a lot, but there weren’t enough connecting passes. Kulusevski didn’t work well between the lines. Perisic only appeared for the final quarter of the fight. It is important to take into account the fact that Tottenham’s activity arose after the opponent’s second goal, a discount must be made: Arsenal played on a scoring basis.
– Conte was lucky that the referee didn’t send Romero off after his second yellow card. Antonio tried to salvage the game, which started with attacks from the Gunners and a mistake from veteran Lloris, but as Arsenal calmed down, the visitors’ dangerous attacks resumed in the north London derby. The ease with which the Gunners passed into the middle of the field with passes showed where the leading team and the favorites are in this match, and where is the challenger, who is not yet good enough to realize all the ideas of With you. Antonio complained about the question, after the derby and the transfers of Chelsea himself, he can repeat his claims.
Arsenal are a pragmatic team
– And it’s not a curse. The mere maturity of a young team was not enough in the past to return at least to the Champions League in the seasons in which Manchester City and Liverpool were in order. Now both Guardiola and Klopp can lose, so Arteta has the chance of a lifetime. Mikel clutched his head as his team missed – there were two good approaches in the twenty-first minute. And I wasn’t nervous in general, because the Gunners won on rebounds in the first half.
– When Ramsdale celebrated Odegaard’s goal by sticking his tongue out at Spurs fans, or when he sneered at the booing crowd with a smile while drinking water, he recalled how he carried his grandfather Ron’s ashes at the signing of a contract with Arsenal . He did not know his ancestor, as he died the day Aaron’s mother found out that he was pregnant. But this episode proves that Ramsdale is a true goalkeeper, a bit out of this world. His saves at the end of the first half and at the start of the second determined the outcome of the match. Grandpa would be proud of his grandson, who was attacked after the game by an inadequate Spurs fan.
– What I didn’t like about Arsenal was playing with ten men. We know Nketia does the dirty work, but if Arteta doesn’t get a striker in the winter, or at least someone who allows Martinelli to temporarily run in the center of the attack, then he can pay. Brazenly, despite the leadership position in Premier League, work with ten of us – without a person performing the functions of a real striker. Nketia makes many mistakes when he is right in front of goal. Either the leg is not the same, so the ball doesn’t get up. Young, 23 years old, but once on base, then we ask, as from a serious fighter.
– Arteta, after one of Arsenal’s long-standing unsuccessful matches against a weak opponent in the locker room, hit the dirty basket of the uniform with his hand and explained to the team in his far from formidable thin voice: the coach he accepts defeats, everyone happens, but he doesn’t accept football carelessly. In the game it is important to show your maximum, distribute forces and create. In this season Premier League Arsenal does. They knew how to beat Tottenham. Let the goalkeeper’s own goal and a successful long shot help – not the more traditional scoring chances, the result is on chance.
– Captain Odegaard is one of the heroes of the game. Spurs have allowed Martin to play at a pace that suits him perfectly. The Dane is definitely not a player who will make a record-breaking run with much acceleration, but he is a talented player who fits into Wenger’s league squad. He grows up, gains experience, thinks big. Zinchenko, Saliba and White also work great with the ball. This season, even Xhaka thinks first and then does, fantastic.
Digital dimension
– Since 2014, Arsenal have been without a win away to the North London derby for almost nine full years. Tottenham have consistently scored against the Gunners in derbies at any ground and in various competitions – an 11-game streak was ended today. Even when they lost to a neighbor, they upset them at least once. But not today.
– A year ago, after 18 rounds, Arsenal had 32 points, the team took fourth place, was on a par with Tottenham. Now Arteta has 47 points, while Conte has 33, but more for the match – nineteen. As you can see, the bar for fourth place has been raised – Manchester United 38 points.
– Cunning Arsenal provoked Tottenham on the eve of the match against Manchester City. And Arteta will also have a difficult task: they will meet ten Hags in their home game on Sunday. Former assistants on ball, the Gunners are eight points ahead of Guardiola. Before the beginning Premier League he could not have dreamed of such a thing.
