William Gallas has said that the north London derby on Saturday is too close to call, and added that he expects Antonio Conte’s men to make it difficult for their rivals at the Emirates.
There is just one point separating Tottenham and Arsenal heading into Saturday’s clash, with the Lilywhites having the opportunity to go top of the table with a win over their neighbours.
However, Spurs’ record at the Emirates over recent years does not make for encouraging reading, with their last win at the ground coming back in 2010.
Given the type of football Mikel Arteta’s men have been playing at the start of the season, the game certainly represents Tottenham’s biggest test so far.
Gallas, who is one of the few players to cross the north London divide during his playing days, believes that it could be anyone’s game on Saturday.
The Frenchman told Genting Casino: “For me, it’s a 50/50 at the moment even if Arsenal are top of the league and have started the season very well. They failed at Old Trafford, but they are still at the top of the table.
“Tottenham are in a good position, even if they haven’t been playing the best football, they are still getting good results. They play Italian-style football, it’s not very nice to watch but I think it’s very difficult to play against Tottenham.
“They are very compact, and they like to play on the counter-attack, and with players like Kane, Richarlison and now you have Son, who has opened his account for the season, so I think for that game I will go for a 50/50.”
However, Gallas insisted that the pressure is on the Gunners to take all three points since they are playing at home and added that Arteta’s men need leaders to stand up to avoid a similar result to the one they had at Old Trafford.
The 45-year-old remarked: “But Arsenal are playing at home, and normally when you play at home you have to win, especially in a big derby like this. Your fans will be with you, so that’s going to boost them a little bit more, so for me Arsenal have to win the game, but Tottenham are good at the moment so it won’t be easy.
“Arsenal have improved a lot, if you look at the start of their season, they’ve won almost every game, they play good football and the players are doing what Arteta is asking. But against Manchester United, it was their first big test against a big club and unfortunately, they failed. So that’s why for me, it looks like Arsenal still have the same problems against the big clubs and Tottenham will be another big club to play against.
“They have improved a lot, they know each other very well and they play fantastic football. Sometimes I think they need to have some more experienced players on the pitch and for them to speak up when they’re in a difficult moment. Those players have to talk to other players to help guide them.
“For example against Manchester United, I didn’t like it when they conceded those goals, especially the last one, 75 minutes, you can’t concede that. That’s why when you have experienced players, straight away you can speak to them and explain, ‘guys, you have to calm down, don’t panic, we still have time to come back’. So against Tottenham, you never know what can happen, but you really need those players who can speak to the other players.”
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The fact that Arsenal will look to take the game to us, could very well play into our hands, given the way we are set up. However, we have to give a much better account of ourselves than we did at Stamford Bridge earlier this season if we hope to come away with a result from Saturday’s game.
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