Arsenal vs Tottenham
Tino went for a more offensive minded shape expecting a more defensive Tottenham and although Tottenham look to have changed to something more forward thinking, their side played into Arsenal's hands really. Tottenham definitely have a very strong core to their team, but in this game i felt as though the flanks would be most important with Arsenal having so much talent out wide, can Coleman and Robertson stamp their authority on this game enough to force Arsenal back, probably not, although they definitely possess a counter attacking threat with Hysaj and Sandro both being forward thinking. That being said, with Arsenal going with two up front rather than a lone striker, it was no longer enough for Tottenham to deal with their attack with just that back 3, 4 very aggressive forwards meant Tottenham had to go to a back 5 when defending and it put a lot of emphasis on Matic and Kante to not only defend well but to provide the drive forward to link defence to attack, which is something they are not all that great at, and with Marchisio and Hamsik keeping the ball so well it would mean the Tottenham CMs would spend more time chasing than passing the ball, which would draw Willian that bit deeper to come and start attacks. Of course, Tottenham still posed a threat but Arsenal's CBs are very good players and i felt overall their shape and personal meant they'd dominate the North London Derby. Perhaps in this instance Fud could have swapped either Matic or Dmebele for an attacking midfield threat, had Willian had a partner in AM, Kante nd Matic would have had less pressure on their forward thinking abilities and the WBs would have had an AM/inside forward who could have draw the FBs towards them so the WBs had more room to get forward, likewise it would have been easier to get in behind Hamsik and Marchisio. Alternatively, Kante could probably do the job himself in midfield with what was essentially a back 5 behind him, perhaps a more offensive CM to make a 3-5-2, Willian one CM and another one who could drag the CMs around would have potentially given Tottenham more of a foothold. In Arsenal's case, a bold team selection paid off, the only weakness i can see is that CM pairing, but Tottenham didn't really play enough players to cause that too many issues.
Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham
Arsenal goals: Higuain(Berardi 31), Gabbiadini(Hamsik) 57, Mertens 78
Tottenham goals: Lukaku(Willian) 82
MOTM: Dries Mertens - A constant thorn in Tottenham's side, he regularly got between Coleman and Van Dijk which helped to create 2 v 2's for the Arsenal strikers on the weaker side of Spurs team.
LSTD's League GW24
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posted on 26/3/17
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posted on 27/3/17
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posted on 29/3/17
Arsenal vs Tottenham
Tino went for a more offensive minded shape expecting a more defensive Tottenham and although Tottenham look to have changed to something more forward thinking, their side played into Arsenal's hands really. Tottenham definitely have a very strong core to their team, but in this game i felt as though the flanks would be most important with Arsenal having so much talent out wide, can Coleman and Robertson stamp their authority on this game enough to force Arsenal back, probably not, although they definitely possess a counter attacking threat with Hysaj and Sandro both being forward thinking. That being said, with Arsenal going with two up front rather than a lone striker, it was no longer enough for Tottenham to deal with their attack with just that back 3, 4 very aggressive forwards meant Tottenham had to go to a back 5 when defending and it put a lot of emphasis on Matic and Kante to not only defend well but to provide the drive forward to link defence to attack, which is something they are not all that great at, and with Marchisio and Hamsik keeping the ball so well it would mean the Tottenham CMs would spend more time chasing than passing the ball, which would draw Willian that bit deeper to come and start attacks. Of course, Tottenham still posed a threat but Arsenal's CBs are very good players and i felt overall their shape and personal meant they'd dominate the North London Derby. Perhaps in this instance Fud could have swapped either Matic or Dmebele for an attacking midfield threat, had Willian had a partner in AM, Kante nd Matic would have had less pressure on their forward thinking abilities and the WBs would have had an AM/inside forward who could have draw the FBs towards them so the WBs had more room to get forward, likewise it would have been easier to get in behind Hamsik and Marchisio. Alternatively, Kante could probably do the job himself in midfield with what was essentially a back 5 behind him, perhaps a more offensive CM to make a 3-5-2, Willian one CM and another one who could drag the CMs around would have potentially given Tottenham more of a foothold. In Arsenal's case, a bold team selection paid off, the only weakness i can see is that CM pairing, but Tottenham didn't really play enough players to cause that too many issues.
Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham
Arsenal goals: Higuain(Berardi 31), Gabbiadini(Hamsik) 57, Mertens 78
Tottenham goals: Lukaku(Willian) 82
MOTM: Dries Mertens - A constant thorn in Tottenham's side, he regularly got between Coleman and Van Dijk which helped to create 2 v 2's for the Arsenal strikers on the weaker side of Spurs team.
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