Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Spurs: 5 key players to watch – Here come the new boys

By Andrew Dowdeswell

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)
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) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 13: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Cenk Tosun of Everton during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton at Wembley Stadium on January 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 13: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Cenk Tosun of Everton during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton at Wembley Stadium on January 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

4. Moussa Dembele

I know, as an Arsenal fan, that I am supposed to hate all Spurs players, and for the most part that is true. But I most certainly have a soft spot for one Moussa Dembele. I’m not sure what it is. His striding, almost showboating power. His deft, subtle touch. His deceptively accurate distribution. Perhaps it is a combination of all three, as well as the fact that I feel he is criminally underrated by much of the football cognoscenti. But, for whatever reason, Dembele is one of my favourite Premier League players. He is also one of Spurs’ most important.

Playing in a disciplined box-to-box role, the Belgian, thanks to a rare blend of sheer physical presence and exquisite technique, will regularly surge through the midfield, opposition careering off in all directions, simply trying to hook a leg around his tree-trunk thighs. He is tasked with setting the tempo of Spurs’ passing, regularly topping their pass completion and number-of-touch statistics, and done so with a wonderfully metronomic consistency.

This season, though, he has not quite maintained his super high levels of previous years — Spurs’ regression in results is certainly no coincidence. There have been injuries. There has been no consistent partner, with Victor Wanyama only just making his first few appearances of the year. There have also been formational changes that can disrupt rhythm and upset comfort. And it has proven that if it is possible to agitate and disturb Dembele, then this Spurs side can be unbalanced. That is what the Arsenal midfield must endeavour to do on Saturday.