• Premier League

Arsenal against Tottenham finds rivals under pressure

James Dall | ESPNFC
September 26, 2014
Premier League Spotlight previews the weekend's top-flight fixtures, highlighting the key points to keep an eye on as the action unfolds...

Under pressure: Arsenal and Tottenham


Tottenham had to go and spoil it didn't they by reverting to being, well, Tottenham. Even when the club enjoyed their promising start to the season, when even this column patted them on the back with words, there was a sense of anxiety at what might await around the next corner: From four wins on the spin to four matches without a victory, including a horrid display that led to a home loss against Alan Irvine's West Bromwich Albion.

Order was sort of restored during midweek, only thanks to a late rally in the League Cup against Nottingham Forest as they won 3-1 with three goals in the final 18 minutes. Defeat versus the Championship club would have met with more poison from a White Hart Lane that has, over the years, reached a level of dissatisfaction that means not many misplaced passes or positional lapses are required for the atmosphere to turn sour.

Will Mesut Ozil get to play in the No.10 role? © Getty Images
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Still, the success over Forest will muffle the haters temporarily ahead of Saturday's north London derby against Arsenal, played at Emirates Stadium and ergo giving Spurs a chance to familiarise themselves further with what could in theory be their home for a season (chortle). Troublingly for head coach Mauricio Pochettino, his team's misgivings seem to be engrained within the club. No matter the change of manager over the years, a habit of malaise hangs over the players.

Fortunately for Spurs, Arsenal are hardly firing on all cylinders. Tuesday's League Cup exit against Southampton reiterated that there is a shortfall in reliable quality beyond their regular starters. All eyes, too, will be on where Mesut Ozil is deployed on Saturday evening, after (surprise, surprise) he played well in a central position at Villa Park.

"I can find you 10 more players in my squad who want to play in the middle," manager Arsene Wenger said after four crazy minutes gave a false identity to a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten Villa. The issue is right, there, Arsene, for you appear to have stockpiled No.10s, without fully addressing holding midfield and central defence.

Finding form: Leicester


Best not to be patronising about this, but well done newly promoted Leicester City, their non-household name players and their mascot "Filbert Fox" for not not being walloped so far this Premier League season. Genuinely, though, they've been ace since their promotion as champions of the Championship. Leicester have played Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United for crying out loud and sit seventh in the table that people like to refer to but know means not a great deal after five games.

Anyway, with manager Nigel Pearson up in the stands surveying the action from a plainly better viewpoint with a laptop by his side, presumably offering him statistics on which players are not pulling their weight, the club have already won the hearts of many. Not least after their humiliation of United. Leonardo Ulloa has been the business since his £8 million arrival from Brighton, helping to bring back the appreciation of headed goals, while Jamie Vardy looks the type of waspish footballer you'd hate to play but therefore love to have on your side.

Statistically speaking (via @PCarrESPN)


- Liverpool are unbeaten in eight straight games against Everton in all competitions (four wins, four draws), and are undefeated in 15 straight games at home against Everton in all competitions (seven wins, eight draws), last losing on September 27, 1999 - 15 years to the day they play on Saturday.

- The Merseyside derby may be the league's fiercest rivalry. There have been 20 red cards in the 44 Premier League meetings between Liverpool and Everton, most in any series in the Premier League era.

- In the north London derby, Arsenal have lost only once in their last 21 league home games against Tottenham. The defeat was a November 2010 game that Spurs won 3-2 on a Younes Kaboul winner in the 85th minute, after Arsenal led 2-0 at halftime.

- The busiest player in the Premier League this season has been Aaron Ramsey, who leads the league with 528 touches, 40 more than any other player. Ramsey is second in passes completed with 382, nine behind Tottenham midfielder Etienne Capoue.

- Look for goals in Chelsea's home game against Aston Villa on Saturday. Their last seven meetings at Stamford Bridge have produced 39 goals, an average of 5.6 goals per game.

Any other business: Manchester United


Let's keep this honest: Sunday's 5-3 capitulation at Leicester really made the sides split. If we are to learn anything from the campaign so far it is to take any thumping win over Queens Park Rangers with a granule of salt. Louis van Gaal's side host a reinvigorated West Ham on Saturday, and considering Sam Allardyce's newfound penchant for attacking he might as well keep it up and bombard the soft underbelly of United's defence.

Regardless of a new manager, a number of signings and a lengthy injury list, one win from six matches in all competitions, especially considering not one of those opponents has been of the "bigger" variety, is frankly unacceptable. Van Gaal has urged for 10 weeks before judging his work at Old Trafford -- his experience and track record earn him at least that -- but one wonders if he needs longer, with there being no swift fixes to the squad's imbalance and psychological brittleness.

Jamie Vardy was one of Leicester's heroes against Manchester United © Getty Images
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This article originally appeared on ESPNFC.com

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