Arsenal Barricade Ahead of St Totteringham's Day

Arsenal and Spurs are betting on pride in the hottest derby in the last 20 years. Arsenal's defense was decisive.

AP/DAVID CLIFF

Tottenham Hotspur's attacker, Son Heung-min, is competing for the ball with Arsenal midfielder, Declan Rice (left), during a Premier League match at Emirates Stadium, London, on September 24th, 2023. The two teams will meet at Hotspur's home ground on Sunday (April 28th, 2024) at night, which will determine the fate of Arsenal's championship chances.

LONDON, SATURDAY – For the Arsenal squad, a visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is more than just about the derby North London. Apart from needing a win to maintain their chances of winning, they can also make St Totteringham's Day a reality. Arsenal's very strong defensive barricade when they visit will be the key.

St Totteringham's Day, for Arsenal fans, has become the equivalent of Christmas. That day came when "The Cannon" ensured a higher finish over city rivals, Spurs, in the final standings of the Premier League season. The celebration was full of pride and pride, about the best team in North London.

Celebration could come sooner this season as Arsenal visits Spurs' home ground on Sunday (28/4/2024) evening Indonesian time. Arsenal (34 matches) is at the top of the standings, 17 points ahead of Spurs (32 matches) who are in fifth place. They only need a draw to ensure St Totteringham's Day at the opponent's home ground.

Also read: The Burden of Arsenal's “Elephant” Prediction

Even so, the team coached by Manager Mikel Arteta is still aiming for victory. They are looking at a bigger mission, namely winning the league. If they lose points, Arsenal's chances of winning will drop drastically. Defending champions Manchester City can soon catch up with just one point behind and still have game savings.

"We are there (competing for the title). We just have to play as well as possible and win. Of course, the derby will provide extra motivation. You know what this match means for our supporters. There will be a lot of happiness if we win. We will try to make it happen. Everything is in our hands," said Arteta.

AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS

Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou (left) shook hands with Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta after the English League match on September 24, 2023. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Paul Merson, former Arsenal player (1985-1997), believes that the stakes are high in the upcoming derby match. Arsenal is ambitious to become champion, while Spurs are trying to prevent it. A similar background occurred in 2004. At that time, Arsenal won the league trophy after a 2-2 draw at Spurs' home ground, the White Hart Lane Stadium.

Also read: April, Arsenal's Monumental Month

The memory was immortalized by Arsenal supporters into the song "We Won The League at White Hart Lane" that continues to echo until now. "It can be said that this is the biggest North London derby in the last 20 years. For Spurs, they are like they will receive a noble title if they win," said Merson.

We fully understand the importance of this home match, in terms of not allowing our biggest rival to win in the biggest derby.

Two sides of Arsenal's defense

The key to the upcoming derby match lies in the away team's defense. Arsenal is known as a team with the best defense when playing away. This is reflected in the statistics, as they have only conceded 11 goals in 17 away matches, including keeping a clean sheet in their last six visits.

It is not without reason that Arteta's team is more solid when playing away. They play more cautiously with a defensive line that is not as high as when playing at home. At the same time, the opposing team often plays more boldly in front of their own fans by building attacks from the bottom. This often benefits Arsenal.

Arsenal's back line, led by center-back duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, is known for being sturdy. However, the biggest advantage of The Gunners' defense lies in the opponent's half of the field, when they aggressively press with a high block. They are easily able to cut off the opponent's attacks and shift the momentum.

AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS

Referee Robert Jones gave a red card to Tottenham Hotspur defender, Destiny Udogie (third from the left), after he fouled Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka (seated) during a Premier League match on September 24, 2023.

According to Opta Analyst data, Arsenal managed to turn their opponents' possession in their own half into 70 shots. This number is the highest in the league. They prefer facing opponents who build their attacks from the back rather than those who use speculative long passes.

The problem is, Spurs have a lot of weapons under manager Ange Postecoglou. They can rely on lightning transitions with the speed of attackers Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson and building attacks patiently from the defense line. This is the biggest challenge for the visiting team.

The trend of unfavorable performance is not beneficial for the home team. Spurs are back in action after being defeated by Newcastle 0-4 two weeks ago, while Arsenal have just defeated another London team, Chelsea, 5-0 last Wednesday. However, as often happens, everything on paper can change in an instant in a derby.

"We understand very well how important this home game is, in terms of not allowing our biggest rival to win in the biggest derby. I will not control the feelings of the supporters. However, we just want to display the best game that suits the team's characteristics," explained Postecoglou.

Arteta is not overly concerned with the various threats posed by Spurs. Because he has many options to counter the enemy's strategy. All Arsenal players will be available in the upcoming match, including Dutch national team defender Jurrien Timber, who has been sidelined for eight months due to a knee injury.

AP/DAVID CLIFF

Arsenal defender, William Saliba (bottom), tackled Tottenham Hotspur player, Destiny Udogie, during a Premier League match at Emirates Stadium, London, on Sunday (24/9/2023) night. The match ended in a draw, 2-2.

"Availability, as I mentioned earlier, is the key to this team. It enhances the quality in every training session, competition between players, and provides more options during matches. It may be difficult to choose players, but it's a good headache," said Arteta.

In the first meeting at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal managed to disrupt Spurs' scheme to attack from below. However, they failed to capitalize on many of the opponent's mistakes. The Gunners had to share the points with a 2-2 result after leading twice before. (AP/REUTERS)