Arteta tells what his side ‘have to do’ to win the North London derby
Arsenal will take on their fierce local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League clash on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta will believe that his Arsenal have side have what it takes to pick up all three points on the road in this North London derby.
However, there are certainly some unwelcome challenges facing the Gunners when it comes to this game. They will be without a number of key players for this fixture.
Declan Rice is suspended for the match, due to the controversial red card he was shown against Brighton last time out.
On top of that, a number of injury issues will give Arteta some tricky selection decisions to make. Mikel Merino is sidelined, whilst Riccardo Calafiori has returned to North London from international duty early, having picked up a knock whilst playing for Italy.
Club captain Martin Odegaard is also managing a fitness concern, and Gabriel Jesus is in the process of recovering from an injury.
Despite this, Arsenal fans will expect their side to take the game to Spurs.
Martin Keown explains how Arsenal can beat Tottenham
Iconic former Arsenal centre-back Martin Keown has now given his insight into how the Gunners need to go about getting the better of their neighbours.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he explained: “When you go to Spurs at home, it’s a different situation right now. When you saw the way they blew Everton away, you don’t go there thinking you’re favourites automatically.
“Whenever you went to Spurs, you had to put out the fire for Spurs, you had to earn the right to play and that’s what Arsenal have to do.”
Arteta will be aware of this, and will not allow the occasion to overwhelm his players. Arsenal have enjoyed a period of dominance over Spurs in recent seasons, and the Spanish coach will be desperate to see that sustained on Sunday.
What Arsenal need to be wary of against Spurs
Without Rice available for selection, it is inevitable that the Gunners will be weakened in the middle of the park in this match.
Arteta has alternative midfield options to consider, but will also need to make other adjustments to make sure the spine of his side gets the support it needs.
This means that Kai Havertz, who is likely to be tasked with leading the line, will be required to drop deeper at times and lend his physicality to the midfield battle.
On top of that, whether Oleksandr Zinchenko or Jurrien Timber is given the nod at left-back, they will be required to invert into midfield, bolstering Arsenal’s presence in that part of the pitch.
