Mikel Arteta’s tactical tweak proved too difficult for Ange Postecoglou to break down. This game was a must-win for Arsenal after Liverpool unexpectedly dropped all 3 points to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Tottenham Hotspur also had to respond after losing unceremoniously to Newcastle before the international break.
Arsenal finds themselves in a valuable position being two points within Manchester City. This is because Arsenal will play Man City next weekend at the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal now have the opportunity to end Man City’s unbeaten run in the league and leap them in the table. Arsenal and Man City will turn their attentions to Champions League soccer during the week.
For Tottenham, more questions are raised about the practicality of Ange Postecoglou’s style. It was Tottenham’s defensive vulnerabilities that offset all their potent attacking play against Newcastle and the same thing occurred in today’s game. Tottenham currently sit at 13th in the table.
Arsenal were already missing the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and new signee Mikel Merino due to injury. Arsenal’s weaknesses grew after losing another new signing Riccardo Calafiori and captain Martin Odegaard during the international break. Though both injuries are not serious, it remains unclear when both players will return.
Perhaps the most notable absentee was their $130m man at the base of midfield Declan Rice. The England international played during the international break but missed Sunday’s clash due to suspension. The pressure of the North London Derby was already enough. But, the deck was stacked even higher against Arsenal due to the loss of their two most important players.
Mikel Arteta will have been aware of Tottenham’s attacking prowess, so unsurprisingly, he set his team up to be ultra-compact defensively. Losing Rice was big, as he usually has a big enough engine to hold down a midfield line by himself. Arsenal rectified this by defending deep and pressing very narrowly. Arsenal often defended with five at the back and pressed in a narrow 4-4-2.
Arsenal’s defending deep in this narrow block made it practically impossible for Tottenham to play through the middle. Arsenal made sure to force Tottenham players wide, resulting in Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson having limited decisions to make. The right side of Tottenham’s attack was particularly ineffective for most of the game due to Arsenal’s strict defense and Johnson’s poor performance overall.
The other reason Arteta chose to play with such a deep block was to essentially win the ball deep and send the ball over Tottenham’s notoriously high line. Odegaard was not there to help Arsenal connect play in the middle so Arteta compromised by playing more direct. This was how Arsenal’s forward players found numerous opportunities to attack the space in behind.
The corner that led to the winning goal resulted from a ball being fed into Kai Havertz up top. His holdup play allowed Arsenal the opportunity to force a corner. This game was a comprehensive example of how to adjust accordingly when going into a big game with a weakened team.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
