Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: Gunners in losing to Spurs shocker!

Arsenal’s title ambitions were left in tatters as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat in the North London derby. The Gunners put in a sloppy performance which resulted in their first league defeat to Spurs since 1999. Robin van Persie made his comeback from injury after 5 months out, but even he couldn’t inspire the team to overcome a 2 goal deficit.

Arsenal displayed their usual failings in defeat last night: sloppy defending, tactical naivety, lack of squad depth and toothless attacking. The first Spurs goal came via a 30 yard volley from debutant Danny Rose. While the quality of the strike is indisputable, Almunia could have caught the corner rather than punching out. After that, Arsenal enjoyed a lot of possession without ever looking threatening. In fact, Gomes didn’t have to make a single save in the first half as an invisible wall seemed to be put up on the Spurs 18-yard line. Arsenal were comfortable with the ball up until that point, but couldn’t find the penetrating pass to get through, save one Bendtner chance.

Tottenham’s tactics were beautifully set up to counteract the Gunners’ lack of potency out wide. Knowing Tomáš Rosický would be playing on the left of attack, Harry Redknapp deployed Younes Kaboul, essentially a centre-back, on the right. Arsenal started with 2 right-backs, Sagna and Eboué, before bringing on Walcott. Again Redknapp countered by effectively playing 2 left-backs in Bale and Assou-Ekotto. In the middle, King and Dawson were able to deal with aerial balls to Bendtner, and the central midfielders tucked in to force Arsenal wide.

These tactics, combined with the deficiencies in the Arsenal midfield, meant Spurs looked fairly comfortable with their lead. Simply put, Denilson, Diaby, Rosický and Eboué had terrible games. In midfield, they looked assured in possession, passing the ball accurately and looking for space. When they came up against the line of Tottenham defenders, they seemed scared to try anything, whether it was beating the man or having a shot. Arsenal supporters would hope that Rosický, the Czech international captain, would be able to make a significant contribution to the attack, but his return has been a measly 3 goals in 31 appearances. Even though he was out for 18 months, he was rewarded with a no doubt improved contract along with Diaby and Denilson. Meanwhile, William Gallas, arguably the squad’s best defender, may yet leave the club on a free transfer as his new contract has yet to be finalised.

The life of a young player at Arsenal must be easy. Make no high-profile mistakes and wait for the stars (and Bendtner) to bail you out in the matches. Then sit back and watch as the team comes close to winning a trophy. You might be disappointed but it’s OK as you are still a young team and the titles will come. This lack of pressure has caused the development of many of the squad players to stagnate, yet they are encouraged to continue as bumper contracts are handed to them. I would say this applies to Diaby, Denilson, Vela, Walcott (to an extent) and Rosický. Of course, if you have the determination to succeed and not rest on your laurels, you could turn into the next Fábregas.

Back to the match, and Arsenal conceded again a minute into the second half, when Gareth Bale took advantage of a shocking defensive line, now including Silvestre, to make it 2-0. Wenger then introduced Walcott, to little effect, before the return of van Persie. The Dutchman immediately sparked the team into life, forcing Gomes into spectacular saves from a volley, free-kick and long shot. It showed how much Arsenal missed a player who was direct, skillful and not afraid to shoot. The goal soon came, and van Persie was at the heart of the action again. He slipped a ball down the right of the area to Walcott, who squared for Bendnter to stab in his 9th goal in 11 games. Gomes then tipped a Campbell header onto the bar as Arsenal pressed in vain for an equaliser.

In the end, defeat leaves Arsenal effectively 7 points behind Chelsea, as the leaders have a far better goal difference. Wenger can take some positives from the game as Nasri and Campbell performed admirably, and of course he will be buoyed by the successful return of van Persie. The Dutchman was crucial to Arsenal’s play in the early part of the season, with the team averaging 3.26 goals with him but only 1.77 without. The fact he had such an impact means the fans are left wondering what might have been had he stayed fit, but unfortunately this season was disrupted by the ankle injury he suffered while playing for the Netherlands. Hopefully, van Persie can inspire the team to a strong finish to the season, exact his revenge on Emmanuel Adebayor in the next home match, and maybe even drag Arsenal to second place in the league.