What we learned: Flexible Arteta draws on Arsenal's past to nullify Spurs
The Final Pic: Over Manager Wire Walton/pa The Arteta John Whistle Arsenal Tottenham After Mikel Win Of
Without his midfield anchor Declan Rice and chief creator Martin Odegaard, Mikel Arteta stepped back into Arsenal’s past and deployed a 4-4-2 formation which flummoxed Tottenham all game. Denying the home side space to exploit, Arteta’s side were content to see the hosts funnel the ball out to the flanks and then dealt magnificently with a stream of high balls into the area.
Central defenders William Saliba and Gabriel revelled in their aerial dominance. Arteta’s formation saw Arsenal surrender possession in favour of containment with Jorginho and Thomas Partey patrolling the area in front of their back four with a relish. It left Arsenal short of creativity in the centre of the pitch and wholly reliant on breaking down the wings, but given that their winning goal came from a corner won at the end of such a break, Arteta’s tactic proved to be a masterstroke.
Ange Postecoglu was at pains afterwards to stress that he does care about set-pieces, contrary to what he sees as a perception of him, yet the stark reality is that this match was decided by one. Gabriel scored unopposed with a free header four yards out and in the centre of the goal. He simply could not miss. Arsenal scored 22 goals from set-pieces last season, Tottenham conceded 16. Chalk up another one on each tally for this campaign.
Just as relevant was that Tottenham won seven corners here, yet failed to test Arsenal keeper David Raya from any of them. The delivery was largely woeful, too often failing to clear the first defender and rendering any preparation work on the training ground meaningless. Postecoglu is right that set-pieces are just one part of the evolution of his side, but when one decides the north London derby, they jump in significance.
Having dropped points at home to Brighton two weeks ago, Arsenal simply could not afford to travel north to face Manchester City at the Etihad next Sunday without victory here. In normal seasons and with normal league leaders to chase down, a draw in the north London derby while missing key players through injury and suspension would have been seen as a positive result. It would also have left them four points behind City before that showdown.
It is why Arteta adapted his tactical approach to nullify Tottenham, while ensuring that his four forward players still had the licence to break at pace in search of a winning goal. Arsenal’s opening four fixtures looked tough in theory. Yet, with victories at Aston Villa and now Tottenham, they have shown that if a season-long pursuit is what it will take to overhaul City, then they are prepared to do that.
Much more of a traditional centre forward than Harry Kane, Dominic Solanke’s home debut offered a glimpse into Tottenham’s future game plan. Bright and inventive in the opening half-hour, Solanke is happy to pull wide to create space inside for Heung-Min Son, but rarely does he drop back into midfield. His first involvement almost led to an opening goal when he spun a pass into Son’s path, before he hesitated in the 14th minute and took a touch too many when a first-time shot may have served him better.
A looping header then dropped just wide of the far post with David Raya scrambling across his goalmouth in desperation. The trouble was that Arsenal’s defenders worked out the Tottenham ploy and nullified it with increasing effect as the match wore on. It was not Solanke’s fault that the stream of crosses deteriorated in quality, but neither can it be the only Tottenham attacking ploy.