Midfield:
Central Midfield: Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey makes this list in a no-nonsense manner as he had a strong season last time out, contributing with goals and assists as well as work rate. He was Arsenal’s Player of the Year and there is no doubt about him being a better choice ahead of Paulinho. The Brazilian was bought to be a box-to-box player for the Spurs and provide them with the power and pace they needed in the central midfield. Paulinho did a decent job initially but soon seemed to fade away.
Central Midfield: Jack Wilshere
Wilshere, though not having a particularly great season, still had some stand out performances for Arsenal. He seemed to find his feet and play much more attacking football than before. His goal against Norwich was voted as the best of the season, something that tells us that he has the flair and can pick up form and performance next season. In comparison, Sandro of Spurs had an average season. The Brazilian’s strength, ball winning as well as work rate in defensive areas was good overall but he struggled against the top teams and was a disappointment against faster players. Jack Wilshere only slightly edges him to this position as even he has a lot of scope for improvement.
Right Midfield: Theo Walcott
Walcott seemed to find his feet and deliver regular world class performances, but regular injuries and an ACL tear halted his season last time out. He would be a very important player with his pace and finishing this season, allowing Ozil an option to find him with his vision as he gets in behind the defence. Aaron Lennon fades in comparison to Walcott even though he played more than him. Lennon has pace but doesn’t have the numbers to back it. He’ll need to use his blistering pace to good effect.
Central Attacking Midfield: Christian Eriksen
The brightest spot in an average Spurs season last time out, Eriksen was very influential and consistent. Bought for a very low price considering his talents, Eriksen’s playmaking ability surely lifted the spirits of the team. Ozil in comparison left a lot to be desired. His numbers aren’t bad at all, but we all know the talent that he possesses, for which he let us down in many key instances and big matches. This season he’s expected to thrive in the team with Sanchez and Walcott available, who’d be making runs in behind the defence.
Left Midfield: Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal’s first marquee signing this summer from Barcelona is going to be a key player for them. Sanchez has pace, energy, work-rate and finishing coupled with good amount of creativity. He is capable of playing as a support striker or a false nine also. Again, Spurs would be relying on a number of players for this position. Belgian winger Nacer Chadli was a decent player for them last season and would be expected to be starting wide left again this time out. But he fades in the presence of Alexis Sanchez’s big name.
Striker: Olivier Giroud
Giroud despite his inconsistency with finishing, did prove to be a very important player for Arsenal last season. He finished with over 20 goals in all competitions last season, doing his job better than what most thought he’s capable of. Spurs’ marquee signing Roberto Soldado struggled to fit in Spurs and was eventually replaced by Adebayor who was in tremendous form initially but soon faded away.
Final Verdict:
Even though Arsenal players dominate this list, the Spurs have a lot of depth in their team and some very good quality players who were out of form last season. With the new manager Pochettinho, Spurs are expected to find their feet back and challenge for a top four finish. Erik Lamela, one of their marquee signings last season would be expected to get started sooner or later
North London XI: 7 Arsenal players and 4 Spurs players
Lloris;Walker, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vertonghen; Ramsey, Wilshere, Walcott, Eriksen, Sanchez; Giroud.
Comments are closed.