Mikel Arteta admits North London Derby did not go to plan as Bukayo Saka shows Arsenal progress
Mikel Arteta admits North London Derby did not go to plan as Bukayo Saka shows Arsenal progress
Mikel Arteta acknowledged that he had been consulting Arsene Wenger before this match to get advice on how to cross the finish line in title races. The largest tip he gave? “Find a way to win football matches.”
You could argue they did that twice in Sunday’s thrilling North London Derby.
Arsenal played a game that we haven’t seen much of them this season in the first half. For the majority of the first half, they remained firmly in their own box, trying to take advantage of Spurs on the counter. Arteta later said that it was not intentional at all.
He said, “They made us do it.” “The high press presented a problem for us. We circulated the balls too little, giving away a lot of plain balls. Because they commit so many players, their structure compels you to participate in some areas with one or two extra players, which encourages you to go a little bit deeper.”
Most importantly, though, it worked. Despite having 28% of the play and two shots on goal, Arsenal led 3-0 at the half. This season, the Gunners have been so dominant in many games, but in the North London Derby, of all games, they gave up the initiative and appeared to enjoy it.
The Arsenal we’ve become used to this season was evident in the second half. When Bukayo Saka’s volley looked certain to find the back of the net, Guglielmo Vicario’s outstretched boot kept the Gunners from scoring, allowing them to pin Spurs back and go ahead 4-0.
They were on their way to a historic triumph when Spurs were given a way back into the match by David Raya’s careless play. Even so, Arsenal continued to attack, and they weren’t really behind until Son Heung-min’s late penalty. But once more, they demonstrated that they are also capable of winning those kinds of matches. Despite their best efforts, Spurs were never able to seriously undermine Arsenal’s title challenge.
The fact that Arsenal would have had to watch Manchester City’s worrying victory at Nottingham Forest on the way back up the Seven Sisters Road may have been the only thing that spoiled the fun of the trip down. At this point in the season, Pep Guardiola’s team is like a zombie in a horror film—slow moving but unavoidable.
However, Arsenal shouldn’t be too concerned about that at this time. It is difficult to hold a team that has dropped points in just two games throughout 2024 too harshly if they do not win the Premier League this season.
Although some may perceive consecutive second-place results as a sign of stagnation, Arsenal has clearly advanced. Arteta’s side is now a Swiss army knife, whereas in the previous season they were flawed. They have the ability to change into any object that is thrown at them and react accordingly. They have personally noticed this.
Saka said after the game, “Maybe last season, I don’t know, that could have ended in a draw.” “But today we showed that we have the experience now and we can come here and get three points, even when the stakes are high and it’s a massive game.”
History was never going to repeat itself here; it was almost exactly the same weekend twenty years ago that Arsenal made history at White Hart Lane. However, given the strides Arsenal has made this season, perhaps it won’t be too long.
