3 keys to an Arsenal victory in Saturday’s North London Derby

A mouth-watering North London derby is in prospect this weekend as top-of-the-table Arsenal host bitter rivals Tottenham at the Emirates.

One of the highs of Mikel Arteta’s tenure thus far arrived in this fixture last season as the Gunners blew Nuno Espirito Santo’s Spurs away in a 3-1 triumph. Goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka lifted the home side into a 3-0 lead after 34 minutes.

Buoyed by the arrival of Antonio Conte, however, Spurs got the last laugh as they avenged their defeat at the Emirates by beating Arsenal 3-0 in May before they pipped the Gunners to the final Champions League spot.

The North London derby remains an intense rivalry and this fixture typically entertains. Saturday’s contest will be laden with quality and the home faithful will try their utmost to create a vibrant but hostile atmosphere.

3 keys to an Arsenal victory in Saturday’s North London Derby

Arsenal have dominated Spurs at the Emirates over the years, and here are three keys to a Gunners victory in the North London derby on Saturday.

1. Target Spurs’ left-hand side in the build-up

Conte’s Spurs are far from relentless pressers, but they’re far more proactive out of possession than many give them credit for. There will be times when they attempt to win the ball high up the pitch on Saturday.

Thus, Arsenal’s stellar build-up will be put to the test by the savvy Italian coach but teams this season have found success targeting Spurs’ left-hand side.

As the excellent Premier League Panel notes above, both Chelsea and Sporting overloaded Spurs between the lines to facilitate easy progression through the right half-space. In Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus, Arteta boasts a pair of smart and athletic footballers that can quickly rotate to overload Spurs’ two-man midfield and pick gaps in their defensive structure. The high and wide positioning of Bukayo Saka will hopefully pin Spurs’ left wing-back – or draw the attention of the left centre-back – and space should open up for either Odegaard or Jesus to exploit between the lines.

With the superb and aggressive Cristian Romero operating on the opposite side, the Gunners – who typically progress down the left – would be wise to change tack on Saturday and focus their build-up down the right.

Nevertheless, you can bet your bottom dollar that Arteta will seek to dominate the contest via overloading Spurs’ midfield in myriad ways. It’s all about manipulating the positions of Spurs’ midfield pivot (presuming Conte sticks with the 3-4-3) and they should have success in doing so by the left-back inverting, and Granit Xhaka and Odegaard functioning higher up the pitch.

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