Arsenal: 4 key performances against Tottenham

Arsenal needed that. The fans needed that. For a few moments it doesn’t matter what predicament the club finds itself in so long as you win the North London Derby. While the table is what it is, everything takes a back seat when the full-time whistle blows and the three points are secured.

Given there is no European football and the cup competitions have yet to kick into gear, facing Tottenham on home soil may not be topped in terms of importance this season. However you achieve it, just get the win.

Not only did Arsenal do that, they did so in style with a performance that was near enough perfect. Obliterating the visitors with three goals in just 22 minutes and having two of those scored by Hale End graduates was the stuff of pre-match dreams – or one too many pints at lunchtime.

Seeing despondent Spurs fans making their way to the exit doors so soon into proceedings was the cherry on an already divine cake.

4 key performances from Arsenal against Tottenham as  Mikel Arteta’s side secure North London Derby glory with 3-1 win

People will point to Arsenal having precious little joy after the break and conceding large amounts of pressure, all of which is to be expected. This is the North London Derby and no matter how dominant one side may be there is the mental and physical fatigue coupled with the inevitable opposition fightback.

Arsenal managed to squeeze Tottenham into areas of little threat with Son Heung-min’s goal, Harry Kane’s effort from range and Lucas Moura’s deflected strike the only times Aaron Ramsdale was truly tested.

Mikel Arteta’s side got over the line with a performance of clarity, guts and determination backed by a magnificent 12th man, and among that were four individual performances that while not necessarily the ‘best’ four on the day, were key outings that told us a lot.

1. Ben White Steps Up

When you cost £50m the expectation levels placed upon you, those out of your control and not of your doing, are unavoidably high.

Couple that with the love and adoration for William Saliba who was moved out on loan again with the Englishman favoured and yet even more pressure falls on White’s shoulders. That, however, is external since the 23-year-old is someone who never looks flustered. He had a fine 90 minutes against Tottenham, by far his best in an Arsenal shirt.

After the Burnley win where he was guilty of sloppiness in possession, the balancing act between his undoubted quality on the ball and defensive solidity hadn’t been struck. Bizarrely, his supposed aerial weaknesses were nowhere to be found at Turf Moor while he was found lacking with the ball at feet.

On Sunday he combined everything into one package that, while not perfect, was precisely the performance he needed to produce to silence some doubters.

Harry Kane didn’t get a sniff off him or Gabriel in a commanding first half, with White’s header he won in a duel with his England teammate setting Arsenal en route to scoring the opening goal.

Defensively he made three clearances and three interceptions, with his proactive reach-around tackle particularly effective, while on the ball his ability was clear: White completed seven out of eight long balls, made 13 accurate passes into the opposition half and ended up with a 95% pass accuracy (40/42).

Did Arsenal overpay? No point going there yet. Just enjoy the performances and what he brings to the team (we’ll brush over his fortune in the second half).

Continued…

2. Granit Xhaka Performs Well in the Circumstances – But More is There

He loves this. He thrives off this. He basks in this.

A moment of madness – be it a red card or an especially stupid in-game mistake – tends to always be followed up with a string of solid displays. Then the cycle repeats. Again, and again, and again.

The apex of this never ending circle fortunately came on Sunday afternoon in the North London Derby. Of course. Why not just…be consistent?

Granit Xhaka wasn’t immense on the day, but he was very good, especially for someone who hadn’t kicked a competitive ball since the Manchester City defeat (he didn’t actually kick anything other than people in that game) and contracted COVID-19 during his suspension.

How he adjusted himself physically for a short pass from Ramsdale was very impressive as that crucial intervention set Arsenal on their way to the second goal. He and Thomas Partey controlled the midfield with the Swiss producing a few neat passes out of trouble and through the lines.

There were a few trademark meaty challenges where he was lucky to escape a yellow card (it is a derby), and off the ball it was clear his fitness wasn’t at its best, but it was nonetheless a strong showing from him given the circumstances. He ran himself into the ground.

Arsenal have won and praise needs to be given, even if when it comes from a writer who has been highly critical of Xhaka for years (he still should have been sold).

But, can Arsenal move on from him? Absolutely. We’ve seen what the team can be without him. It’s time to grow, even if it’s unavoidable that two of the best 45 minutes of football played under Arteta have come with Partey and Xhaka in midfield against Tottenham. Now that fun is over, back to Sambi? The injury might force it.

This was a ‘key’ performance in that it was a strong one from Xhaka while still leaving enough room for the Sambi inclusion to remain fresh in the minds. It was very good, this pivot it, but the scope is there to be different, and ultimately, better.

Continued…

3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameayang Delivers on Derby Day

That was the best performance Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had in an Arsenal shirt for some time. But, going back, if he hadn’t have scored his goal then he would undoubtedly have been overlooked, right?

His work off the ball was superb. It was also very impressive in the Premier League against Burnley. Yet because he didn’t get a sniff in front of goal at Turf Moor the work rate doesn’t take centre stage.

On Sunday it was there in full force with the addition of a wonderfully worked and excellently finished strike. The flick for Emile Smith Rowe was sublime. He had to get the right purchase on the ball to allow Smith Rowe to reach maximum speed and not break stride, while the finish into the far corner was precisely what it needed to be.

Pulling out the King’s celebration in front of the Tottenham fans was….tremendous.

Overall he led from the front, harried and worked, rallied and smirked his way through a memorable derby day win. While he may be 32 years old now if he can be chasing like he was and scoring in these big games then the door for a fruitful season remains wide open.

Nobody will talk about his energy and work rate if he isn’t finding the back of the net, though. So it’s well-timed that he did.

Continued…

4. Mikel Arteta Gets the Win He Needs

Beyond any player or any individual moment, the biggest statement of all had to come from the manager. He, more than anyone else, needed this.

Obviously he wouldn’t say so, instead focussing on the team performance and support of the fans, but deep down he knows how badly he had to secure three points to convince people that what has happened up until this point has come with mitigation that was actually valid.

Surviving off excuses and factors beyond his control could only go on for so long. Arteta was beginning to starve. He can dine on the success of Sunday.

With his full complement of players available and with no more doubts over whether the new signings need more time to settle in, the time to deliver is now. Beating Tottenham the way Arsenal did and subsequently moving above them in the table does just that.

Only for a week, though.

High-flying Brighton are to come away from home and defeat there will leave this result in a different light: ‘Arsenal weren’t great, Spurs were just terrible’. What there is now, however, is a solidified view of what this team can be, no more words of encouragement of faint indicators.

This is the framework to build upon.