Arsenal Vs Spurs: 5 key players to watch

Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 03: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on February 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in the second North London derby of the year at Saturday lunchtime. Here are five key players to watch ahead of the pivotal grudge match.

Here it is. The season on the line. Pride on the table. The North London derby. And Arsenal, perhaps for the first time, enter it on a high thanks to the life-giving additions and retentions of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, all of which were masterful in a 5-1 demolition of Everton in their first appearance together.

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So, here are five key players to watch ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s trip to Wembley. It’s sure to be a rip-roaring affair.

Arsenal. Granit Xhaka — LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Yohan Cabaye of Crystal Palace is challenged by Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

5. Granit Xhaka

It pains me to say this, as I am not the most vociferous supporter of his, but Granit Xhaka might actually be Arsenal’s most important player. That most certainly does not mean that he is the best. Rather, it pertains to the influence of the role that he plays, the significance that it has on the rest of the team, especially as the pivoting, holding midfielder between the contrastingly searing attack and vulnerable defence, and the ramifications that the level of his performance has, both positively and pejoratively.

And in this fixture, his importance will only be heightened. Spurs tend to play through the central zones when they choose to attack. Their width, predominantly, is provided by their full backs, and so Mauricio Pochettino strongly encourages both Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli to drift into central areas, often overcoming the opposition midfield thanks to the intelligence and amount of movement that is buzzing around them.

This is exactly the type of scenario that would usually trip Xhaka up — he requires a simple job that he can dutifully stick to without having to decipher distractions and compute crucial positional, tactical and technical decisions. Having said that, he performed very well in the return fixture earlier in the season. Arsenal need him to do so again on Saturday.