Arsenal vs Tottenham: 5 things we’d like to see

Tottenham. There are no such occasions as friendlies when it’s Tottenham. Whether it’s the Mind Series or it’s the good old days of Robet Pires in his pomp, Arsenal vs Tottenham is a game to savour.

It hasn’t been much of an enjoyable visit making the short journey north of late. Not in the past seven away visits has victory been clinched. That’s far too long.

Pre-season had been relatively enjoyable up until the Chelsea defeat as despite no victories in Scotland against Hibernian or Rangers, the form and fitness of the team was steadily improving.

Thomas Partey’s injury was a huge blow building up towards the Premier League curtain-raiser away at Brentford, while the defeat on home soil to the Blues wasn’t especially enjoyable either. But it’s only pre-season, right?

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Arsenal vs Tottenham: 5 things we’d like to see in final pre-season fixture on Sunday to conclude Mind Series mini-tournament

Amid the daunting task of shipping out a wealth of players and trying to considerably improve the squad with new additions, all the fans’ anguishes and concerns can be briefly put aside for the four mile journey to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nuno Espirto Santo’s side have their own transfer ongoings to be dealing with at present, with Harry Kane trying to force a move to Manchester City this summer to satisfy his taste for silverware, something he is only familiar with when it comes to methods with which to eat his food.

Having clawed their way back from a 2-0 half-time deficit at Stamford Bridge to draw 2-2 in their opening Mind Series match, there is the possibility of another Audi Cup-style moment to tell the grandchildren for Spurs on Sunday.

As for Arsenal, they can claim the incredible spoils of this prestigious competition if they beat Tottenham and score four or more goals. It’s a big ask but victory is all that truly matters in this one. Who cares about fitness so long as everyone stays fit?

Here is what we’d like to see on Sunday.

1. Albert Sambi Lokonga & Granit Xhaka in Midfield

The prospect of seeing a Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny pairing in midfield on the opening day of the season, which would be almost exactly five years to the day since they first played together in red and white, is all kinds of wrong.

It’s a glowing example of the wretched recruitment at this club. When you finish the seasons since their first outing together in 5th, 6th, 5th, 8th and 8th and head into the coming campaign with the same midfield after just one injury, it suggests quite strongly that the football club isn’t very good at buying players. Or selling them.

Not a slight on them individually as they’re not the sole reasons for those finishes, but it’s a painfully low ceiling that hasn’t been lifted.

Which is why Sambi Lokonga should start and the moaning can stop!

If Arteta does opt to go with Xhaka and Sambi from the off then it’s a positive indicator that he sees the potential of that partnership against the Bees.

The stomach twists and turns at the thought of Elneny being the Swiss’ partner and if Sambi maintains the strong form he’s shown throughout pre-season against Tottenham then there is no excuse not to field him in the fixture to come.

This is one special young Belgian the club have acquired.

2. Deal With the High Line Better

Based off of the signings Arteta has made during his tenure, the preference to move to a higher back line is clear as day.

White and Gabriel are two additions that work towards this and it was noticeably in use against Chelsea last time out.

It was also found out on a number of occasions. Naturally, this tactical shift will take time to absorb; and which passing routes to block higher up the pitch and where to set the pressing triggers will need training ground practice.

The Blues adopt a 3-4-3 system unlike Spurs who’ve gone for 4-3-3 under Santo, so it will require a rethink in the classroom on how to be effective on Sunday.

One area Arsenal were caught out on against Tuchel’s side was having two players block the same passing routes Chelsea were looking to make out from the back. That opened up the spaces in midfield for Kovacic and co to assume possession and feed the pacey wide forwards, such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, to exploit Mari.

There were issues with the approach that were taken advantage of and even if Spurs set up in a different way Arsenal will need to be attentive. Furthermore, with Eric Dier in defence who is almost entirely incapable of anything, there is an angle with which to direct the higher press.

3. Goals From Lacazette and/or Aubameyang

OK, not to be picky, if even just one of them (preferably Aubameyang) gets on the scoresheet it would be most welcome.

Arsenal could really do with the strikers finding some form. Alexandre Lacazette has grabbed two goals so far this summer with one coming from the penalty spot, but as Brentford looms with it looking like being Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the left and Lacazette through the middle, some goalscoring prowess from the two leading frontmen wouldn’t go amiss.

The Frenchman usually turns up for these games so there are less concerns over his current state. As for the captain, while he’s looked sharp in pre-season and found the spaces he needs to lurk into to get chances, the finishing touch has been lacking.

Always a cheerful character in and around the training ground, you would be mistaken for believing he has found the net regularly this summer.

That hasn’t been the case and these opportunities need to start being converted into actual goals to lift the mood in and around the camp as the club prepares for 38 games with him as the leading No. 9.

Even if he grabs a tap-in or one goes in off his thigh, that will do.

4. Ben White Make His First Arsenal Start

Having only been with the team a short while following his £50m arrival from Brighton, it was relatively surprising that Ben White was given a 45 minute run out against Chelsea.

Obviously keeping himself fit throughout his holidays, the addition of not featuring in any of England’s Euro 2020 matches will have helped to keep him fresh.

Moreover, he looked good.

Three goal line clearances in his first half of Arsenal football might be a worrying foreshadowing to the rest of his career but as far as debuts go it was a relatively strong outing for the record signing.

With Gabriel still out it would be a partnership of Pablo Mari and the 23-year-old, which supporters will be hoping will be the duo that kick the season off against Brentford.

Between 45 and 60 minutes for the new boy would be the perfect setup to the coming Friday and seeing the partnership get valuable time together from the off is vital preparation ahead of the campaign. Spending such an amount puts a great deal of expectation on the defender and there is no better way to start proving your value than a solid outing against them.

5. Winning the Football Match

How incredibly simplistic and obvious!

As pre-season kicked off in Scotland with one draw and a defeat, the positives were the number of chances being created and the natural improvements in fitness. While not Premier League standard opposition, those signs are what are most important during these fixtures so the results don’t overly matter.

Losing to Chelsea and seeing flaws amid other more encouraging signs – primarily from individual performances – the small matter of losing was anything but positive. Yes, they’re the best side in Europe technically speaking and Tuchel has Chelsea looking frighteningly strong, but it’s still defeat to a rival ahead of facing them on matchday two of the 2021/22 campaign.

Anything other than victory over Tottenham never suffices. This is no different. Following Sunday’s meeting there are four full days of rest before the journey west and with a squad that looks frighteningly similar to last season’s as well as the absence of Thomas Partey, the confidence boost that will come from winning away at Spurs (even if it’s ‘only pre-season’) can’t be understated.

Back-to-back losses against two London sides is just about the worst preparation imaginable ahead of facing another capital outfit.

For their first ever Premier League fixture, the Bees and their crowd will be fired up. Arsenal need a lift from somewhere. Victory would help.