3 Key Battles That Will Decide The North London Derby – Arsenal vs Tottenham

Arsenal vs Tottenham Key Battles

There are very few fixtures in the English Premier League that matches the excitement of the North London derby. Over the years, Arsenal and Tottenham have indulged in some very fierce battles and even though the head-to-head results sway Arsenal’s way with a score of 76-54 and 47 draws in total, the competition has never been easy. Tomorrow the derby is back and promises to be as exciting as ever with both teams hoping to get going after what has been a tough start to the season. In spite of both Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pocchettino being fond of attractive teamwork football, it seems likely that would eventually deciding who the winner would be will come down to moments of individual brilliance.

Let us take a look at 3 key duels that is likely to heat up the derby fixture-

1. ALEXIS SANCHEZ- DANNY ROSE

Arsenal’s marquee signing of the summer is quickly starting to adapt to the Premier League and has now scored in 4 of his last 5 matches. Having been rested for last week’s fixture against Aston Villa, Sanchez scored off a fabulous curling free-kick in the mid-week loss against Southampton in the Capital One Cup tie. High on confidence, Sanchez is likely to trouble the Spurs side that has not had a steady start to their campaign.

With Sanchez likely to be stationed on the right of the midfield 3 in a 4-2-3-1, the duty to contain him would be on Danny Rose. The arrival of Ben Davies in the Spurs side has been a decent challenge for Rose and he has stepped up his game a notch in comparison to last time, especially going upfront. But his defensive work has not been the best, and it would be interesting to see how Rose will keep in check Sanchez’s quick runs down the flanks. The winner of this duel would almost certainly have a huge role in deciding the final outcome of the game.

2. CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN – LAURENT KOSCIELNY

Last season despite starting slow, Eriksen ended the season on a brighter note with 7 goals and 9 assists to his name, of which majority came when he was played in the central role. However, Pocchettino started the season with his fellow Argentine Eric Lamela in the hole and Eriksen was shifted out wide, reducing his impact. But now recently, Eriksen has been moved back to his favorite position and he seems better off there. Against Arsenal, he will play a key role in getting Spurs the goals, against an Arsenal defense that has looked extremely fragile.

Koscielny is likely to be handed the responsibility of closing down Eriksen. The Frenchman has had his share of criticism in recent matches and would be eager to prove his critics wrong. Even though Arsenal lost the match against Southampton on Wednesday they were without both Koscielny and Mertasacker. Last week, Arsenal managed a clean-sheet against Aston Villa when both their senior centre-backs started and would hope to draw confidence from that result. But to do so, Koscielny must be on his toes against the dangerous Eriksen, especially with the added responsibility of Eriksen’s deadly set-pieces as well.

3. DANNY WELBECK vs  JAN VERTONGHEN

 

The duel between Welbeck and Vertonghen will be an enticing one to watch, as pace goes one-on-one with physicality. Welbeck has looked menacing in all games he played for Arsenal so far, getting behind the opposition defenders quite a few times even though his finishing skills had come under question a few times. Against Spurs, he would have his task cut out even further, pitted against Verthongen.

The big Belgian hasn’t had a great time recently and is slowly building his game under Pocchettino and would love the test against the pace of Welbeck. With Pochettino yet to finalize his main centre-backs, with Younes Kaboul, Vlad Chiriches and Federico Fazio also in the mix, Verthonghen need to step up and deliver soon. He would also have a role to play in the opposition box, with his strong physique and aerial ability being an advantage during set pieces. With both teams still yet to get going, a win would be essential for both teams and these two will definitely be key for their respective teams.