Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said his team has made no “special plan” to deal with in-form Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale ahead of the match later today.
Bale has hit spectacular form this season scoring nine goals in his last seven games, but Wenger has made it clear that Arsenal will not change the way they play for any individual player.
“We don’t plan for anybody. It is always the same; focus on our strengths and forget about your opponent,” he said. “All players have different qualities”.
Bale’s scoring streak led to him being named Player of the Month for February with his boss Andre Villas-Boas being awarded Manager of the Month.
In the much-anticipated North London derby today, a win for Tottenham could help them finish above Arsenal for the first time since the 1994-95 season.
It remains to be seen if Wenger will regret not keeping a close eye on Bale when the two sides go head-to-head this afternoon in White Hart Lane.
Key players for today’s Tottenham vs Arsenal derby
Jack Wilshere is the heartbeat of the team and undoubtedly Arsenal’s strongest player at the moment. Wilshere is one of the best central midfielders in the league with a lethal combination of accelerating into space and picking out the killer pass. At 21-years-old he is still only half the player he eventually will be. Wenger’s likely decision to deploy Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey as holding midfielders will give Wilshere license to push forward with a view to spearheading the Gunners’ attack.
Theo Walcott is the team’s biggest threat in terms of scoring. After a stint playing through the middle, Wenger has reverted to playing him in his natural position down the right channel. This has been by far his best season for creating and scoring goals. However, Walcott’s inconsistency is still an issue, and the jury is out on whether he’s deserving of his new £100k per week salary. If he decides to show up, Walcott could play a major role in the tie.
Santi Cazorla will likely be played to the left of Wilshere, moving in and out of space in a free role. The diminutive midfielder is equally strong with his left or right foot and could prove instrumental in linking up with Jack Wilshere to open up space and cause the Tottenham defence problems. He is one of the season’s stand-out players and has the ability to be a match-winner.
For Tottenham it has all been about one player this season: Gareth Bale is enjoying being the most sought-after player in the Premier League. Arsene Wenger is no doubt kicking himself that he didn’t snatch up Bale when he had the chance, instead opting for youngster Theo Walcott. The Welsh 23 year-old has scored nine goals in his last seven games, including a double against West Ham on Monday. At the moment it’s not a case of if he will score, but how many.
Can the Gunners come away from White Hart Lane with anything?
Never since the Premier League began back in 1992 has there been a North London derby that Spurs have been such overwhelming favourites to win. In one sense, this gives Arsenal the safety of the underdog position; a loss being expected, and so any other result seeming all the sweeter an achievement.
On the other hand, such a scenario does little more than galvanise the fact that Arsenal have waned in recent seasons are a shadow of the team that so regularly got the better of their North London rivals when they met.
This time last year Spurs went to the Emirates 10 points ahead of Arsenal but left 5-2 losers and finished the season a point behind the Gunners. Arsenal are only four points behind them at this stage this season, yet this Spurs team is an altogether different beast to the one that Arsenal fans could rely on slipping up in previous seasons.
Verdict: A draw the most likely result, and also one that most Arsenal supporters would gladly take.
Key facts
Despite the criticism Arsene Wenger has faced for not wining a trophy since 2005, his team have done much better against their North London rivals since Wenger took the helm as the graph below shows.
[iframe src=”//infogr.am/AFC-THFC-pointspergame” width=”550″ height=”772″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ style=”border:none;”]
While a draw seems to be the typical result when Arsenal visit White Hart Lane, the chart below shows that Arsenal wins there have become less and less frequent since the Gunners last won a trophy.
[iframe src=”//infogr.am/How-will-the-Gunners-fare-at-the-Lane” width=”550″ height=”772″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ style=”border:none;”]
[iframe src=”//infogr.am/RISE-OF-THE-UNDERDOGS” width=”649″ height=”575″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ style=”border:none;”]
Data analysis and visualisations by Henry Kirby
