Arsenal were held to a pulsating 2-2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal invited their rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium. It was a game of two ends as the Gunners and Spurs produced a nailbiting contest, proving to be a perfect derby set up in a 2-2 draw. The hosts were initially trailing by two goals but drew level parity to script an exceptional comeback.
Unai Emery’s side started on a higher ante in the opening minutes of the game. However, they were suddenly caught on the break by the visitors, who scored through their attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen. The Danish International scored from a ricochet off Heung Min Son’s shot.
There were no real chances as both the sides failed to test the shot-stoppers until Granit Xhaka brought Heung Min Son inside the penalty box. Harry Kane slotted the ball to extend the lead by two goals. In the stoppage time of the first half, Nicolas Pepe found Alexandre Lacazette inside the penalty box. The striker had a lot to do and went past Jan Vertonghen to score an extraordinary goal past Hugo Lloris.
From the minute one of the second half, the hosts were banging on the door of the visitors. Shots from Nicolas Pepe and Matteo Guendouzi were tremendously saved by Hugo Lloris, but he was unable to prevent the magic touch from Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in the second half. Matteo Guendouzi picked out the striker, whose deft touch took the ball away from the goalkeeper to level the score.
It was a perfect clash as both sides share spoils before the International break. We shall look at the five talking points from this pulsating clash.
#5 Arsenal’s defensive woes continue
Arsenal were hoping to keep a full stop to their defensive problems with the acquisition of the experienced David Luiz. However, the Brazilian, who was culpable for two goals in Anfield, had some nerve-wracking moments alongside his partner Sokratis.
When Spurs played an airball to Harry Kane, miscommunication between Sokratis and Granit Xhaka helped Spurs course. Both failed to win the header, assisting Kane to pick out Heung Min Son in the back of the defence. This broke the backline and Christian Eriksen scored from close range to give the lead for the visitors.
The unceasing mistake of the Gunners centre-backs is their vulnerability and unnecessity to commit themselves. This helps the opponents to make the run behind the defence and create chances for fun.
Sokratis, for all his experience, should have dealt with the header properly rather than committing himself to let Spurs have the ball to take the lead.
#4 Pochettino’s plan worked, but they ran out of gas in the second half
Unlike Arsenal’s defence, Spurs backline has the capability to soak up pressure and show their resilient nature. When the hosts conceded an early goal, the defence consisting of Vertonghen, Rose, Alderweireld, and Sanchez was able to stand firm and negate opponents’ strengths.
Mauricio Pochettino had a mantra to dismantle his opposition today. He has passed instructions to his side to hit their opponents on the counter-attack with the lightning transition. Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Christian Eriksen, and Erik Lamela looked lively in the counter-attacks to feed either Harry Kane or Heung Min Son.
Since Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira struggled to track back with their slow pace, Spurs had joy through the counter-attacks. Additionally, Arsenal backline is susceptible defensively which made Pochettino implement this strategy. For the majority of the second half, Spurs adopted the defensive methodology and invited pressure. They ran out of energy which helped the hosts to win the second balls and cause continuous trouble to Spurs defensive department.
#3 Matteo Guendouzi manifests his supreme talent yet again
Arsenal were struggling in the midfield department. It was pretty clear that there were defensively susceptible and needed someone with two lungs to make runs up and down the field. Matteo Guendouzi was not defensively sound, however, his contribution towards the creativity was only second to Christian Eriksen on the pitch.
The French International picked out pockets of spaces in the middle to constantly feed and keep the momentum ticking for the hosts. His shot from the penalty box was saved spectacularly by Hugo Lloris in the second half.
After finding the much-deserved equalizer, the midfielder dropped back and won plenty of tackles and duels in the middle of the pitch. Even though Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko had their say at times, Guendouzi was proactive in his approach to help the forwards. After a good show in Anfield, Guendouzi has done no damage to his form by living up to his belief yet again.
#2 Pochettino needs to start Christian Eriksen more often
Christian Eriksen was the best player on the pitch today. The Danish International was enjoying the reserved space in the midfield department to feed the forwards with constant deliveries.
Not only does he help Spurs with creativity, but he can score goals to notch up his tally. He likes to get into the box more often and did exactly the same to open the scoring in the first half. Without his presence, Spurs were struggling to break down Aston Villa in the opening weekend of this season.
In the last twenty minutes of that game, Eriksen created six chances, which was more than any other player on the pitch. There is a contract standoff from the player’s part, but Pochettino needs to play him more often to achieve the main targets for this season. Forwards Heung Min Son and Harry Kane will be benefitted only if he starts for the Champions League finalists more often.
#1 Unai Emery needs to change his approach to shield the backline
Arsenal’s backline has been the main debate for the last three years. The Gunners backline has struggled to wind off opponents in the final third. However, their approach seems to be wrong.
There’s no doubt that Unai Emery loves to play possession-based football. But the Spaniard does not have the players for that to click at full throttle. The former Sevilla manager sticks with Granit Xhaka as the defensive midfielder, but the Swiss International leaves an abundance of space for the attacking midfielders and forwards to exploit.
There were several instances when both Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira were dragged out of their respective positions. It only helped Pochettino’s side to win the second balls and cause trouble.
When the ball was hooked up to Harry Kane, the Gunner simply fail to win the second ball. This forces them to track back and do the spare work at times.
