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| (Courtesy of cactusbeetroot and makeroadssafe - flickr) |
Every derby has a special feel but I have to admit
that this one always gets me a bit excited. Whether it be the days shortly
following Sol Campbell’s ‘treacherous’ switch from white to red when tensions between
the clubs was high or when the teams were battling it out for fourth place two
seasons ago it seems that the North London derby has been a close one for a
long time. The one tomorrow is no different; neither manager will be 100%
satisfied will their start to the season, although as he currently sits one
point and one place behind his rivals Arsene Wenger will probably be the unhappier
of the two managers. With Chelsea back to form after last season’s abomination
and Everton cruising nicely into 4th, both teams in tomorrow’s derby
will feel like the match is must win if they are to have any chance of making
it into that 4th Champions League spot.
Arsenal
The Gunners started the season reasonably well,
first 5 games unbeaten with 9 points wasn’t too disgraceful and it seemed like
there was not too much to worry about following a couple of big-name departures
in the summer. Then three defeats in the next 5 started the alarm bells ringing
and all of a sudden RVP’s absence was far more noticeable and there were quiet
murmurings about Arsene Wenger’s suitability for the job, as there always are.
It seems difficult to see a day that Arsenal sack Wenger but entering an 8th
season without a trophy it is not looking great for the Frenchman. Having said
this two of Arsenal’s three most recent losses have come against Chelsea and
Manchester United, not easy games by any stretch. Tomorrow’s game will be a big
one for him, a win over Tottenham is likely to make fans forget about the fact
that Arsenal are several places off
minimum expectation and ease fears that Arsenal might ‘do a Liverpool’ and drop
down the table. Arsenal’s most recent game seemed to typify Arsenal’s form this
season: horribly inconsistent. To go 2-0
up, then be turned around to 3-2 down and pull a winner back at the end I’m
sure Arsenal fans weren’t sure to celebrate or not. You always want a
confidence-inspiring result to take you into a crunch derby and that was not it.
To make things worse Wenger could be without Sagna, Grioud, Arteta, Walcott and
Chamberlain tomorrow as all of them are doubts with injuries, he will be hoping
that at least 3 or 4 of them make it back because that is a big chunk of his
first team. As a result of these 50/50 injuries it is nearly impossible to make
a guess at what Wenger’s team will look like tomorrow but what we can be
certain of is that he will be desperate to win and Arsenal will be spurred on
by Tottenham’s poor form of late, there is nothing like seeing an opponent on
bad form to erase the memory of your own.
Spurs
Tottenham’s recent run has been no better than
Arsenal’s, worse in fact, 3 losses and 2 wins from the last 5 league games.
Again they have not all been easy games, Chelsea and Manchester City among the
teams that they have lost against, but this can be no excuse for a team who has
come in the top four in two of the last three seasons. One of the points of
encouragement that AVB can take into tomorrow’s game is that spurs have a
reasonably respectable record at the Emirates in recent years, a win and two
draws from five games is by no means a bad run away to a top four club and
Tottenham have already taken one big scalp away from home this season in a 3-2
win at Old Trafford. Still something isn’t clicking at Spurs, be it the less
than ecstatic reception for the new manager or the new signings not quite setting
the stage alight. On a positive note it seems that the three players who
previously appeared doubtful for tomorrow’s game; Defoe, Lennon and Walker, all
look set to play, a massive boost to the manager. To get a result tomorrow
Tottenham will need some of their players to take the game by the scruff of the
neck, I think Sandro and Huddlestone together could be a very effective
combination to control the midfield and give Spurs’ pacey attack some decent
service.
Verdict:
This is a tough one, a very tough one. It really
depends on which of the 5 doubtfuls for Arsenal make it back in time for
lunchtime tomorrow, I’m going to work based on the prediction that a
significant number of them do. In this case I’m going to plump for a draw,
sitting on the fence is the only way to go when faced with difficult decisions
like this. In all seriousness both teams have been on poor runs, will be low on
confidence and terrified of losing the game, as a result neither of them will
risk a loss. I think it will be quite a cagey affair in the first half, maybe
yielding one goal, and will then pick up as a result and give us a score draw
in the end. 2-2
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