Arsenal have made such a remarkable comeback that they are now in a position to qualify for the Champions League with two games to spare. Strangely, they don’t need to beat local rivals Tottenham to secure a top-four position, as they are four points ahead of Antonio Conte’s side heading into Thursday’s highly-anticipated North London Derby.
So, how does Mikel Arteta go about approaching this? Spanaird said in his pre-match press conference that he has only one game strategy in mind. “It’s more about the thrill and the chance for me,” the Spaniard explained. “When you have it in football, you must deliver and perform. That is the attitude we will all have tomorrow.”
With this in mind, it appears Arsenal will go to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday to complete the task. If Arteta is going to accomplish this, he must carefully select his squad.
Despite rarely needing to make a save in the win over Leeds, he’ll be hoping Aaron Ramsdale is still sharp. The England goalkeeper has acknowledged to being apprehensive in the build-up, but he has performed admirably when pressed this season.
The most intriguing pick Arteta makes will be in front of him. Will the Spaniard remain with the back four that has helped him win the last three games, or will he try to equal Antonio Conte’s back three, as he did so brilliantly against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea?
While he may be trying to win, the significance of keeping the back door shut against Spurs’ counter-attacking danger means he will most likely opt for the defensive option.
This implies that Rob Holding and Gabriel will keep their starting spots, but Ben White will take their place alongside them. Even though Arteta was circumspect on his fitness, the England international played a hybrid centre back/full back role at Stamford Bridge last month, and you get the idea he’ll want to replicate that this time around.
That means Arsenal will need two wing backs, and in a game with so much on the line, Arteta is unlikely to pick Nuno Tavares, whom he doesn’t quite trust at the moment. Takehiro Tomiyasu shown that he can contribute to the attack from the left as well as the right, and the Japan international’s defensive stability makes him a must-pick at left wing-back in this game.
With that in mind, Bukayo Saka, who played a hybrid right wingback/right forward role against Chelsea, could return to the right flank. The England international is a question mark, but he is a must-start for such a crucial match. Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny, his dependable teammates, will be easy picks as well.
Martin Odegaard has expressed his delight at the prospect of leading Arsenal out in the next North London Derby, and he will need to be at his best in possession if the Gunners are to exploit the Spurs backline’s occasional flaws. Emile Smith Rowe will take over on the inside left position, according to Chelsea replica reasoning. It’s unfair to Gabriel Martinelli, but the Brazilian is still a viable substitute option if a change is required.
Eddie Nketiah will start what will most likely be the most important game of his career up front. The 22-year-old will be hoping to fulfill every Hale Ender’s ambition of scoring a critical goal in the North London Derby, probably the most important in contemporary football history.
Arsenal predicted XI vs Tottenham – Ramsdale; Saka, White, Holding, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Xhaka, Elneny; Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Nketiah.
