Arsenal vs Tottenham: 5 key players in North London Derby

3. Sokratis

Our defense is in a weird place. Unai Emery clearly had the notion that experience is better, and he opted for Sokratis and David Luiz in the early going, despite a great showing from Calum Chambers.

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That isn’t proving to be the best decision. Luiz has made a few mistakes leading to goals and Sokratis isn’t helping matters much himself. But given Emery’s likelihood to change things, I wouldn’t surprised to see him shaking things up again against Tottenham, with Luiz giving way to Chambers.

Whatever the case, Sokratis is likely to keep his spot, which makes him then hub of this defense, and that therefore makes him one of the most crucial players on the pitch. He has a premium defender in him, and his combative nature makes him hit and miss, but if he is really keyed in and holding down the fort, Sokratis can be a major player and have a huge impact on the match.

That said, if he struggles, gets into his head, or gets an early yellow, watch out, because the defense may be near implosion status.

Hopefully this unpredictability can be done away with soon with the introduction of a Calum Chambers/Rob Holding partnership. But until that time, Sokratis is the man.

On to No. 2.