Arsenal vs Tottenham: North London Derby Preview

Arsenal and Tottenham are set to square off in the first North London Derby of the young season, and after last week there is a new attitude towards this Arsenal team. Arsene Wenger seems to have found a good balance and for the first time this season I feel confident about the Arsenal midfield.

Injuries have made the defense weak but the back four is still very solid and if everyone is on the same page then there should be no concerns. I predict an Arsenal win and here is why:

Prediction: Arsenal 2 – 1 Tottenham

1) Mesut Ozil at the No. 10

Lets be honest, we all know Ozil is never going to be impactful when he is playing on the wing. Ozil doesn’t have the speed, individual skills or the scoring prowess to succeed there. If Gareth Bale is the perfect wing player then Ozil, putting it nicely, is not on the same level.

But where Ozil succeeds is behind the striker in the No. 10 position. The defensive midfielders and defenders at Tottenham are good, but Ozil is much better than good. Look for him to drive the Arsenal attack, make the right decisions and cut open this Tottenham team. Let’s hope one goal and a beautiful assist is all it takes for us to see No. 11 take his game to new heights.

July 13, 2014; Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL; Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil (8) kicks the ball against the Argentina in the championship match of the 2014 World Cup at Maracana Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Groothuis/Witters Sport via USA TODAY Sports

2) Tottenham’s Attack vs Arsenal’s Defense

Honestly, this is the part I am most worried for! I predicted Tottenham will get at least one goal against Arsenal but I fear that might not be the case. Arsenal’s defense looked good last week, but Tottenham is a much different opponent. For one, they won’t be sitting back in their own half all game. Instead they will look to push up and put the Arsenal defense under tremendous pressure. I hope Arsenal are strong enough mentally to grind out games like this and pick up all three points!

3) Who will Wenger Start?

With Ozil in the No. 10 spot, it is important to see who Wenger chooses to put around him. Personally I’m hoping to see Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez playing around Ozil, with Danny Welbeck up front. With Cazorla and Sanchez playing alongside Ozil, the Arsenal midfield will have a good mixture of both skill and speed.

Sanchez and Welbeck will insure that Arsenal gets their shots on goal and if the whole midfield puts in the same amount of effort as they did last week, Arsenal will be able to win the ball (and dictate play) far away from their own goal!

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