Tottenham came into this game with the season’s best Premiership away record and the proclamation of captain Robbie Keane that they are “certainly even” with their North London rivals. By full time, Harry Redknapp, if looking for any crumb of consolation from this derby defeat, can cling to the fact that the corresponding fixture last season saw them concede four at the Emirates. Here’s a look at some key aspects of the weekend game:
A Lesson In Containment
For as much as Arsenal racked up another three goals (finding the net twenty times in five home games now), it was his defence that Arsene Wenger took time out to praise: “The back five did very well, we didn’t give any chances away and during a difficult period of the game they kept us in it.”
This chalkboard illustrates the manager’s point precisely: the defence had very little clearances to make before Arsenal went two goals up, and despite Spurs exerting much more pressure on their opponent’s defence afterwards, the home team dealt with anything thrown at them with efficient ease.
On the other hand, Spurs’ dodgy defending made them masters of their own downfall, and once Arsenal were two goals ahead, the game was as good as over.
This chalkboard, comparing the Gunners winning tackles before and after the two-goal burst, shows how Arsenal battled for the ball higher up the pitch far more before the opener. Once the quick brace was scored, Fabregas and Diaby in particular had less challenges in the final third, as the hosts remained more compact.
For as much as Arsene resorted to jacket-throwing when his words were lost in the crowd’s frenzy, his team seemed to have learned their lesson from last week at West Ham.
This chalkboard compares their interceptions after going two up against Spurs compared to when they took a two goal lead at Upton Park last week. They kept their shape better, with practically all their interceptions coming in the centre of the middle third, and didn’t take risks by chasing the ball unnecessarily.
Abou Diaby
Not only did Diaby’s challenges change once the second goal went in, his positioning on the park altered as the Gunner’s strove to shut up shop, as this chalkboard comparison illustrates. Sitting beside Alex Song as more of a protective shield, Diaby saw much more of the ball, playing short, simple passes that helped his team retain possession and hammer home their dominance.
With Denilson’s continued absence, Diaby (5.8m in FPL) is almost a guaranteed starter at present for Arsenal, and sits behind only Van Persie and Fabregas in terms of Arsenal’s goal attempts, with seventeen shots so far this season.
Van Persie
Wenger has recently also been full of praise for Robin Van Persie, saying..
“He is the kind of player, with the type of game we play, who is vital because when you play the ball to his feet his first touch is always perfect and that allows others to join in”.
This chalkboard compares his passing in Saturday’s game with last year’s derby draw. With Arsenal’s change in tactics this season, Van Persie’s role has altered. Although he’s the lone centre forward in the system, the Dutchman isn’t asked to lead the line; instead his passing is further away from goal as he links up play, creating space for others to run into, one of the reasons for the form of Cesc Fabregas this season.
A Word on Arshavin
Arsene Wenger’s pre-match premonition that the little Russian would have a big impact on the game was not quite correct, as Cesc and Robin again ran riot. Arshavin did have five goal attempts, though; the same number as Van Persie. The intriguing aspect is that all his attempts came while Nicklas Bendtner was on the pitch, as this chalkboard illustrates. Once Eduardo replaced the Big Dane, Arshavin ceased to be a goal threat.
This was, however, more goal attempts than in any other league game this season, a possible sign that the pre-season (now 10.8m) FPL favourite is now finally getting into his stride.