Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur
The English Premier league saga continues this weekend and the lunch-time kick off is an all London affair at the Emirates between Arsenal and their neighbours Tottenham Hotspur. Both teams have been off the boil in recent weeks and their respective managers would want them to get their season back on track with nothing less than a victory. The Gunners have been inconsistent thus far whilst Tottenham have lost 3 of their last 4 premier league games.
Arsene Wenger’s team squandered a two-goal lead as well as a 94th minute penalty miss in their 3-3 draw with fellow Londoners Fulham at the Emirates last weekend. The Gunners started with a bang as they piled on early pressure on their opponents and deservedly took the lead through Olivier Giroud. Lukas Podolski grabbed the hosts second in the 23rd minute. Everything looked to be going Arsenal’s way until The Cottagers struck back with two goals in the space of 11 minutes. Arsenal went into the match with the best defensive record but conceded a third goal and the lead to Fulham in the 67th, courtesy of a calmly taken Dimitar Berbatov penalty. Mikel Arteta was the culprit as he tugged Bryan Ruiz’s shirt after the Fulham midfielder picked his pocket. However, Arsenal hit back almost immediately, as Giroud steered a powerful header past Schwarzer, two minutes later. However, further misery was to follow for the Gunners faithful and Arteta in particular, as the midfield man missed an injury time penalty and the chance to win the game. However, on careful inspection it seemed as though justice was done as it was a rather dubious penalty award. Arsene Wenger’s men seem to be short of some spark and perhaps the return of Jack Wilshere this weekend after his 1 match suspension, could be exactly what they are missing.
In terms of Spurs, they gave their all at The Etihad last weekend but conceded a late goal to lose 2-1 to the reigning champions, despite taking a shock first half lead, courtesy of a Steven Caulker header. Andres Villas Boas’ men have blown hot and cold this season and their recent run of form is worrying. On the plus side, Emmanuel Adebayor showed signs of coming back to his best with a gutsy display at The Etihad and should continue his form. His strike-partner, Jermain Defoe was surprisingly dropped to the bench, despite scoring a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League, a few days, prior to the City match. However, Villas Boas is sure to attack the Gunners and could start with pairing.
So with both teams starting the season brightly but currently experiencing a dip in form, this North London derby clash is more important than ever. Both defences have suffered many costly lapses of concentration recently and a very likely outcome could be a high scoring game. The net effect could be another enthralling London Derby draw which will heap further pressure on both Wenger and Villas Boas.
