Ange Postecoglou and Paul Merson disagree on tottenham tactical approach for Arsenal clash
Tottenham news – Ange Postecoglou has made his game plan perfectly clear for the North London Derby against Arsenal this weekend amid claims from ex-Gunners star Paul Merson
Tottenham face their biggest game under Ange Postecoglou since his arrival in the summer as they take on Arsenal in the North London Derby this weekend. Both teams head into the clash on 13 points after going unbeaten from their first five Premier League games with Spurs only above their arch rivals on goal difference.
The Gunners were in action earlier this week in the Champions League where they comfortably beat PSV, meanwhile Spurs will have had several more days of rest in comparison to their weekend opponents. However, early substitutions for Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Bukayo Saka likely mean all three will be fighting fit for Sunday’s clash amid some injury concerns.
On the other side of the coin, Postecoglou was dealt a huge injury blow ahead of the game when it was announced that Ivan Perisic had suffered an ACL injury in training and was set to undergo surgery. The Croatia international played a crucial role off the bench in the miraculous comeback win over Sheffield United and not having his tactical nous or experience in the squad is a cruel blow.
Rodrigo Bentancur, Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso, however, are all making progress towards a return, although the Arsenal clash likely comes too soon. Therefore, Postecoglou is sure to know the matchday squad he will name for the short trip across the capital.
Ahead of the highly anticipated clash, pundits and fans alike have been making their predictions with former Arsenal man Paul Merson not shying away from predicting a thrashing. For his Sportskeeda predictions, he wrote: “I’m very bullish, but I think Arsenal will win this game easily. Tottenham have started the season well – there’s no question about it.
“However, if they play gung-ho football and look to take the game to Arsenal, the Gunners will destroy them. If they stay quiet and look to nick a goal on the counter, they could be in with a chance, but I can’t see that happening as that’s not how they’ve played so far under Ange Postecoglou.”
In recent seasons, Spurs have opted for a pragmatic head coach but that is certainly not the case with Postecoglou. In every league game played so far, his team have played out from the back and on the front foot and that does not look set to change this weekend despite the demanding task that awaits Spurs.
“Well, there is no other reason that we play this football than to be successful, so if I didn’t think we would be successful I wouldn’t play it,” Postecoglou replied when asked about how he will approach the game in his press conference. “From my perspective, I have often said I don’t set up my teams to play football that is nice to watch. I set up my team to play football that will win.
“You have to believe in that against all oppositions, in all kinds of circumstances. There are always tweaks that happen because the opposition will force you to adjust certain parts of your game, but the underlying principles of the kind of team we want to be, no I will not shy away from it now because we’re facing a good team. We have to go out there and challenge ourselves to play the football we have so far against one of the teams that will be challenging for the title.”
