Arteta’s Team Selection Will Be Key As Arsenal Face Tottenham Hotspur In Uncharted Territory

On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal will travel the few miles down the Seven Sisters Road to Tottenham for one of the oddest North London derbies in memory. Not just for the Covid backdrop and the tentative return of 2,000 socially-distanced fans to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but because Arsenal go into the game fourteenth in the Premier League
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and Tottenham first.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this when José Mourinho pulled on his Tottenham pyjamas last November, reputation dented by the tumults he engendered at Chelsea and Manchester United and abhorred by a substantial portion of the Spurs fan base for his perceived negativity in demeanor and tactics. And it certainly wasn’t supposed to be like this when Mikel Arteta surfed back into town just under a year ago, riding a wave of hope that he might be Pep Guardiola Mk. II.

Yet here we are. And the polarized context only adds to the tension. Arsenal are desperate for their first derby away win since a single goal from Tomas Rosicky gave them victory at the old White Hart Lane in 2014. Three points would take them within five of Spurs and give confidence and morale a much-needed boost after heated, clear-the-air talks midweek.

Spurs, meanwhile, are looking at the bigger picture. As José Mourinho said in his press conference on Friday, “Because now we are in such a good position it is a little bit different. Because we want the points we are not just like: ‘We want to beat Arsenal because to beat Arsenal is the only good thing we can give to our fans.’”

Recent North London derby games have been riveting, perhaps the most entertaining rivalry in the world in pure footballing terms. We have seen four or more goals on six separate occasions over the past decade. But the current circumstances and the two men now at the respective helms point to this meeting being significantly cagier.

Mourinho’s perpetual penchant for bus parking in high-stakes derbies was on show last weekend at Stamford Bridge and even playing at home, with fans urging them on for the first time since March, it is unlikely he will throw caution to the wind.

Arteta, for his part, has proved a far more cautious manager than many expected when he first took over from Unai Emery. His most important mission upon arrival was to fix Arsenal’s leaky back line and, aside from a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Aston Villa four weeks ago, that he has done. Especially in the games against the big six in which Arsenal have come out on top – the FA Cup semi-final and final wins over Manchester City and Chelsea and the league games against Liverpool and Manchester United – Arsenal have been reactive in the extreme, happy to sit and soak and strike on the counter.

Yet when such an approach is unsuccessful – and in recent weeks Arsenal’s results have been poor – it is an invitation for criticism. Arsenal’s creative struggles have been much discussed, with talismanic striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not finding the net from open play since August.

For that reason, the biggest questions prior to this derby surround the Arsenal manager’s team selection. After employing a lop-sided 3-4-3 formation for much of the early part of his reign, with Aubameyang on the left of the front three and Alexandre Lacazette playing through the middle, Arteta has recently moved towards a 4-2-3-1 with Aubameyang central and Lacazette left out in favor of an additional midfielder.

Yet on Thursday night in the 4-1 win over Rapid Vienna in the Europa League, Arteta paired Alexandre Lacazette with Eddie Nketiah in a more traditional front two. Lacazette dropped off to help work the ball forward and Nketiah operated as the spearhead of the attack, with Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pepe cutting in to provide incision and invention from either flank. The central presence of Mohamed Elneny and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, provided the stability and dynamism to allow both full-backs to push up.

Maitland-Niles in particular was a refreshing sight. Asked what he brought to the midfield, he gave a Sunday league assessment of an elite display: “I had a bit of legs in the midfield, got about, tried to tackle, win the ball back, get up and down the pitch and give us a bit more dynamics, so it was good.” It was indeed and provided a bit of life to what has at times been a painfully ponderous midfield.

The fact that the game was against such weak opposition must be considered, but the performance on Thursday will have given Arteta food for thought. Might he opt for the same formation against Tottenham? If so, which players will he choose to fill the midfield and forward roles?

If Thomas Partey is fit he will certainly return, and Mohamed Elneny’s discipline and focus makes him exceedingly useful against better teams. But Arteta would be a brave man to play only the two of them and deploy Aubameyang and Lacazette as a two-pronged attack.

With just two central midfielders – whether in a 4-4-2 or a 3-4-3 – Arsenal risk being overrun. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele have formed a formidable central trio for Tottenham this term and with Harry Kane, who can become the derby’s outright all-time top scorer on Sunday, also prone to drop in and make it a central quartet, Arsenal could be outmanned.

To avoid that possibility, Arteta may opt for another midfielder. Dani Ceballos and Joe Willock could both play as a box-to-box No.10 option or if Arteta really is looking for stability, he could bring in Garnit Xhaka or Maitland-Niles alongside Partey and Elneny. As Arteta himself said when praising Maitland-Niles’ versatility after Thursday’s game, the Hale End academy graduate can “play as an attacking midfielder.”

If he does go for that three-man midfield option, it would make the central areas congested, but could free up Arsenal’s full-backs and wingers to contribute more offensively.

Finding that balance between defensive security and creativity is the main theme of this second act of Arteta’s reign. How he approaches the task could not only define the outcome of Sunday’s derby but his long-term future at the club.