Which means we’re finished here. Thanks all for your company and comments; enjoy the rest of the weekend, gmar chatima tova to those celebrating Yom Kippur, and peace out.
And here’s David Hytner’s match report:
We’re about to get going at Bramall Lane. But first, a minute’s silence in memory of Mandy Cusack of Blades’ women’s team, who died tragically earlier this week.
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“Spurs no strength in depth?” says James Walton. “They’ve still got Bentancur, Gil, Sessegnon, Lo Celso to return… and their bench today was better than Arsenal’s with Dier, Davies, Hojbjerg, Richarlison, Solomon, Royal, Skipp… Arsenal with Kiwior, Soares, Tomiyasu, Smith Rowe and Nelson…?”
Matter of opinion, obviously, but – in mine – Bentancur is the only one of those anywhere near good enough to make a serious difference to a season, and even in his case, that’s a reach.
“Big love for the FIFA 98 reference,” says Thibault Barillon. “All I can hear now is David Ginola (he was commenting the matches in the French version) saying ‘Meme ma grand mere aurait pu arreter ce ballon’ (‘even my nan could have caught that’). And Song 2.”
Yes, that was in the English version too. And these are the kinds of offences i was referencing when describing that Nketiah challenge.
On Arsenal, I wonder if the Champions League is their best chance of doing something serious this season. They’re good enough to beat anyone and, by the time things get heavy in February, Arteta should have a decent idea of his best side and players who, thanks to the squad Arsenal now have, are fresh. Even after six games, I just can’t see them chasing down a City side who already lead them by four points.
Maddison and Son are both happy with the result. The former notes that though he gave the ball away and was almost punished by Jesus, bottle is trying to play your football ands he thinks Spurs did, dominating for stretches. That feels like a reach to me, but the way they hung in there was impressive and they’ll be a better, more confident side for this game. Next up: Liverpool at home, which should be a jazzer.
Big Ange, eh? His ability to fortify players with confidence and composure is so, so good. The same Spurs side with a different manager lose that by a couple, I think, and though I wonder how they’ll fare as the season continues because they don’t have any strength in depth, if they can win all the games they should, they’ll have a decent shot of a top-five finish, which should get them Champoons League football.
And really do not miss:
Liverpool and Brighton, both of whom win 3-1 – against West Ham and Bournemouth respectively – move above both of these two. Villa, who won at Chelsea, go sixth, Chelsea are now 14th!
1. City P6 18Pts
2. Liverpool P6 16Pts
3. Brighton P6 15 Pts
4. Spurs P6 14Pts
5. Arsenal P6 14 Pts
6. Villa P6 12 Pts
FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal will be disappointed with that; Spurs will be satisfied.
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99+10 min Porro swings out, Gabriel heads clear, and that’s that!
99+10 min Hello! Kuluseksvi gets space down the right, stands up Zinchenko, and cuts back for Richarlison! But a redemptive winner is aborted when Jorginho gets a sock-fibre to his shot, and the eventuating corner will be the last action of the match…
90+9 min Zinchenko sticks a decent ball into the box but Udogie, who’s done really well following a disconcerting start, head clear and Spurs avert danger.
90+6 min Arsenal send on Smith Rowe for Saka, and it’s Arsenal looking to win it now, Spurs sat in their shape. A goal doesn’t look imminent, but it wouldn’t be surprising were one to arrive.
90+5 min In comms, they agree Arsenal need a proper striker, and my guess, based on nothing, is that they go in big for Evan Ferguson. It’s funny really, because signing Gabriel Jesus galvanised them at the start of last season, lifting the mood at the club following a dispiriting collapse which cost them a Champions League place. But, though he does a lot Arteta likes, a reliable scorer is more important.
90+3 min Spurs get the corner away, but a replay shows Gabriel heading into the raised arm of Udogie; VAR says nothing. Which is part of the frustration, because it looks more of a penalty than the one we saw given, and yet. Nor is it even about the specifics on this occasion, just that we should be able to see the action and have a pretty solid idea of what it means. These days, though, we’re guessing.
90+2 min Saka collects a loose ball outside the box, takes a fine touch that brings him central, and from just outside the D, and Vicario tips his low shot away at full stretch. Arsenal are ratcheting up the pressure now.
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90+1 min A massive roar from both sets of fans as we learn there’ll be 10 minutes of added time, and what an improvement it is that we now see a proper game instead of a random interpretation of ill-kept time.
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90 min Caught by Udogie’s full-length, arms-first dive, Saka hurts his knee, but I think he’ll be fine.
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89 min Nelson swings it in, Romero heads back towards his own goal – he must have swallowed his sensitive parts there – but Bissouma’s there to win a massive header and save his mate from the mare of a thousand mares.
88 min As per the below, this hasn’t been a game of great quality, but are you not absorbed? The people lucky enough to be at this game will emerge shaking, and that’s the kind of feeling only football can give you. Beauty you can get in an art gallery, and Arsenal win another corner…
86 min Looking again, I’m not sure Nketiah was getting to that but Arsenal are boiling now and Havertz is on the edge of the box when a Saka cross is cleared to him. Is this the moment he becomes a Gooner? No! He thrashes over the top, and Tottenham survive.
85 min Saka’s corner it a beauty too, Gabriel winning the near-post flick … only to catch Nketiah on his heels at the back post! As Gary Neville notes, that was Ian Wright’s position, and also where Rice was when he scored the winner against man United.
85 min And, as I type, here comes Nelson looking to repeat last season’s Bournemouth heroics, shifting it a foot to his right to work an angle for a curler … which is deflected behind.
83 min As it goes, neither side look poised to steal this, but Arsenal know how to build momentum at this stage of a game, especially at home, and also the better players. So, though they don’t look likely to win at the moment, I’d not be at all surprised if they did.
81 min Mitoma has scored again, so Brighton now lead Bournemouth 3-1.
80 min The problem Arteta here is that Man City have won six out of six, and a draw here would put the gap at four points. In normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be the worst, but Pep Guardiola football is so hard to stop and his side are never losing a title to this Arsenal from in front. I’d go as far as to say that if the Gunners drop here, if they do so again before City do, their title challenge will be close to over.
78 min I’m not sure if Postecoglou is making a defensive change in picking Hojbjerg to take Maddison’s place, or doing the best he can with a poor squad. Either way, that injury could stymie Spurs’ good start to the season even if they earn a point or better form this game because they’ve lost the man who makes them tick.
78 min Change for Arsenal, Nelson replacing Jesus; double change for Spurs, who replace Son and Maddison with Richarlison and Hojbjerg.
77 min “Not the best advert for football, is it?” reckons Hari Nair. “Really scrappy from both sides and neither team able to get into their rhythm.”
I’m not sure about that. I know what you mean, but I prefer intense football to aesthetic football, and this has been a lot of fun.
75 min Porro swings the corner out and a Tottenham head clears it away.
74 min Kulusevski’s coming into this now and he feeds Porro down the right whose cross is blocked behind. Spurs are the better side now, but of course Romero somehow manages to get himself booked for grabbing Jesus’ throat. His commitment to being his authentic self at all times a therapist’s dream.
74 min Odegaard swings out, Jesus gets a touch at the near post, and Vicario claims. He’s looked pretty solid in what I’ve seen of him so far.
73 min Arsenal have had a poor few minutes, but Havertz wins a corner down the left…
72 min Maddison looks more or less alright now, while at Stamford Bridge, yet more hilarity: Ollie Watkins has put Villa in front. I’d bring on the boy Boehly, if I was Mauricio Pochettino.
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70 min After a fair bit of treatment, Maddison decides he’ll try and carry on.
68 min Maddison is victimising Jorgoinho here and he catches him in possession again … but aarrrggggh! Has he done something to knee or hammy in the process? Meantime, Spurs attack with Kulusevski, who’s been quiet so far, and he comes off the line to slides a tremendous ball into the box that takes out three defenders and Son, on the right of the box, allows the ball across his body before shlepping a shot from around his arse into the side-netting.
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67 min Eeesh! Van de Ven passes back to Vicario, who clears … and then Nketiah slides in, catching him. You got sent off for those in Fifa 98, but the ref settles for a yellow and as we see the replay, we see Nketiah is lucky – he catches the keeper with an inside-thigh, not his raised studs.
67 min Spurs win a free-kick 24 yards out, right of centre, which Maddison teases in … and someone, White I think, heads clear. This is an even battle now, and both sides have recent form when it comes to late winners.
65 min “Does Udogie’s performance so far mean that Tottenham aren’t concerned about losing their Reguilón?” asks Guy Stephenson.
I’m not sure – I think Udogie has been Low today – he was Half A World Away when Saka’s deflected shot put Arsenal 1-0 up.
64 min Nunez has put Liverpool 2-1 up at home to West Ham; Chelsea, drawing 0-0 with Villa, have had Gusto sent off. Nothing that Todd can’t fix, though, I’m sure.
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63 min Change for Spurs, Solomon replacing Johnson. I wonder where he’s davening for Yom Kippur.
62 min I take back what I said about non-Jorginho Arsenal players. He had so many options – a line, I think of four, were in front of him – and as the last man, he had no business mucking about like that.
61 min Johnson, who was allowed to stay up in the first half, chases back and looks to have pinged a hammy. That’s rotten luck.
59 min “I don’t know,” says Andy Flintoff. “A number 9 that doesn’t score as often as they should was a fundamental part of Liverpool’s 2018-2020 team which finished second (narrowly to Man City) and then first, but then they did have two outstanding wide forwards to share the load.”
Yup, and Arsenal don’t really have that while Firmino’s numbers were better than Jesus’.
57 min Have we seen Arsenal do this before? Against Liverpool last season, the game that cost them the title, they seemed to relax at 2-0, and perhaps they did the same here. Jorginho made the error, sure, but there wasn’t much in the way of support around him and any sensible teammate will have known Spurs would be looking to make sport of his lacking physicality.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Son 55)
THE NORTH LONDON DERBY NEVER DISAPPOINTS! Jorginho jorginhos, dallying on the ball inside his own half and Maddison attacks him like a rabid dog, yanking away possession, carrying forward, and teeing up Son for his customary expert’s finish, passed into the far corner!
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55 min I guess we might say that without Romero’s hand it was a goal, and such circumstances should always yield a penalty BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Saka pen 54)
Viacario dives left, Saka curls high down the middle, and that’s the lead back for Arsenal!
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PENALTY TO ARSENAL!
I can see why it’s given; I’d not have given it because there was no intention to handle; because ball and arm were close; but Romero is on the verge of one of the great nightmares.
51 min VAR are taking their time, which tells us they’re not sure, which tells us – in my opinion – that it should be play on.
50 min In comes the corner, the ball bounces, hits White in the midriff – how is he along inside the six-yard box? – and White spins, leathers a shot, and it hits Romero, kneeling to make the block, on the arm. The hand wasn’t in an unnatural position, but it was out a bit, the ball was going in, and I’ve no idea what the penalty law is now, none of us do – a ridiculous state of affairs – but my guess is it’ll be a penalty, but I’d prefer such things not to be.
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49 min Arsenal get it out to Saka who looks to go on the outside of Udogie, winning a corner; Rice has a calf issue, we’re told.
48 min Kaoru Mitoma has put Brighton 2-1 up against Bournemouth. Those not used to European football think-pieces will have to be put on hold.
46 min “Jesus misses those so often that Arsenal fans have become used to it,” advises Sean Orlowicz. “A 9 for a team with title aspirations cannot be wasting those chances.”
I know what you mean, but all 9s miss chances like that, whoever they play for. The issue with Jesus, I think, is not the misses per se nor the quality of them, rather he just doesn’t score enough.
46 min We go again; with Rice off, will Spurs make Arsenal stew?
Two changes for Arsenal: Rice off, presumably injured, along with Vieria; Jorginho and Havertz replace them.
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Back to REM – a theme of my music-listening career – “‘Tim Flowers of Guatemala’?” suggests Simon Yates, while Josse McMahon wonders if ‘All the Way to Bernd Leno’ could get a look in as goalie.”
Aha, here’s David enjoying his lad’s second-leg finish. I’ve no idea how people hold it down.
Brennan Johnson’s goal against Sheffield United puts him in a very exclusive club of players to have scored in both legs of a play-off semi for Forest.
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) May 17, 2022
The other player to do so? His father, David Johnson pic.twitter.com/c2Bt3DR58I
Half-time email: “I started to write that I’m a neutral in this match,” says Matt Dony, “but then I remembered how much I hated Wenger (absolutely respected and appreciated everything he achieved, but hated him nonetheless), and just how many wonderful (and sometimes, average) Welsh players have played for Spurs over the years. I’m hoping Johnson scores a winner. Ideally in really contentious fashion, in the last few minutes. Because, really, there are few tbings better than that. But really, I’m only writing to boast about the fact that I’m about to tuck in to homemade pizza just outside Naples, in the sun, next to a swimming pool. Life has been worse. COYS, I guess.”
Johnson was actually involved in one of my favourite football moments in recent years. When he scored for Forest at Sheffield United in the 2021-22 playoffs, the cameras cut to the away end, where his dad David, of Ipswich Town fame, was doing his absolute but, Sadly I’ve not been able to find it, so have this instead.
Brennan Johnson 2nd from the left and his dad David is on the right, amazing photo #NFFC pic.twitter.com/Et86AngbzW
— 🎸🎮🍺⚽️Jamie E - Retro Red Dog⚽️🍺🎮🎸 (@reddogjamie) May 15, 2022
Elsewhere: Bowen has scored for West Ham, who are level at 1-1 with Liverpool; Miilos Kerkez’s own goal means Brighton and Bournemouth are also 1-1; and Chelsea v Villa is goalless.
HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
There was a bit of tempo to that, eh? Not loads of quality, but with Arsenal feeling wounded and Spurs feeling themselves, we’re set up for a very serious second period.
45+3 min Ah, Bissouma was booked for putting a hand in the ref’s face.
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45+2 min I daresay Jesus has that miss on his mind; if he scores we’re wondering how many; now he’s missed, anything is possible.
45+1 min A yellow card for Sarr, who yanks the breaking Jesus around the neck and is booked; so is Bissouma, for something I didn’t see.
45 min We’ll have four added minutes.
44 min I can’t lie, I worried about Son, who looked very poor last season – so poor I wondered if his legs had gone, which I suspected had affected his finishing. But, er, yeah. Legs and finishing are, in fact, both intact, and without Kane perhaps he’s relishing the additional responsibility.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Son 42)
Now then! Sarr humps over a cross from the right that Raya flaps away – I bet Ramsdale applauded that inwardly. Johnson then collects and shoots, Raya blocking away, but Spurs sustain the attack and Maddison, out on the left, waltzes past Saka who, as a former left-back, should know better. He then mooches along the by-line, cuts back, and Son, arriving onto the ball, clips home with typical composure. He is back, and his team are back in this match!
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40 min Spurs have been a little better these last few minutes.
40 min And respect to Ramsdale who, we now see, is on the bench doing football clapping, and though it’s performative, it also shows mettle because he’ll be hurting.
38 min But now Spurs move forward down the right, Son feeding Kulusevksi who makes ground and cuts a fine, disguised return-pass outside him. So Son cuts back to Johnson, who looks to sweep far corner, and though he doesn’t get everything on it, Raya still has to plunge after it from close to his near post, palming clear a terrific save. A terrific save not dissimilar to one Ramsdale made in the dying moments at Anfield last season.
37 min Again, Arsenal attack down the right, Saka feeding infield to Odegaard, who tries a curler which is easily grabbed by Vicario.
36 min Since going behind, Spurs have barely had a kick, and really this is the beating they were fortunate to avoid against Man United, who didn’t’ manage to score when dominating.
34 min Apparently it says above that Saka scored, a point made to me by James Robinson, b ut we’ve been told by Drury that the goal has been given to Romero, which makes better sense. I don’t think the shot was going in and the touch, deliberately imparted, took the ball in a totally different direction.
32 min AND HE’S MAKING IT NOW! Odeghaard presses Vicario, he feeds a short, straight pass to Maddison, who takes a touch … and Jesus nails him, only to lash over the top! that is very scruffy finishing, characteristically so, and is exactly why I think Arteta will replace him next summer.
31 min Why does Jesus always look like he’s just smelled the most rancid fart ever committed to methane?
29 min Solanke has put Bournemouth ahead at Brighton and Arsenal are purring now, Saka spreading to Vieira down the left, who coaxes over a lovely cross that forces Van de Ven to head behind with Jesus lurking.
27 min Spurs have a big problem now, and I hate to say this so soon into proceedings, but their best bet now is to keep it at 1-0 till 75 minutes. If they go after it, they’ll be ravaged on the break and, so far, have really struggled to get into a position from which they can create, never mind actually created.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Romero own goal 26)
Arsenal are forced left but when Odegaard sweeps out to Sake, a little sway and Udogie is suddenly aeons away. So, from close to the edge, he tries a curler that I think is headed just wide of the far post, only for Romero to dangle a leg that sends the ball in the other direction. I said earlier that he’s wild, and that was impetuous behaviour at a moment that demanded composure.
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25 min He cannot, picking out an Arsenal head, but Spurs collect the loose ball and enjoy a spot of possession before Udogie loses it and, with him stranded upfield, there’s a hole and Arsenal spring…
24 min But Vieria fouls Maddison 30 yards out, right of centre; can he find the delivery he’s after?
23 min I wonder if Arsenal need to slow down. The pace at which they’re playing is allowing Spurs to dive into tackles whereas if they slow things down and keep the ball, looking to prise holes, I’m not sure Spurs have the skills or smarts to stick with them.
21 min “Goalkeeper - Bad (Mervyn) Day,” offers Richard Hirst. “And surely it should be Zat Knight Swimming? The big man (ex-Fulham of course) would look fearsome in his budgie smugglers.”
How about Jim Montie Got A Raw Deal?
20 min Elsewhere, Salah has given Liveprool the lead against West Ham.
18 min Spurs really ned to get out and Porro makes ground down the right, smashing a ball across that White hacks clear in the knowledge that Johnson lurks behind him.
18 min “Where are we on Drury then?” wonders Digvijay Yadav. “Every now and then he nails it but he can be more economical. What worked on the world feed may not work here.”
I’m a fan. I grewup with Motty, Mooro and Bazza, so I like commentators with character and fine most of the current lot indistinguishable one from the other, though Steve Wilson and Pien Meulensteen are good.
17 min Udogie needs to get his head straight. He knocks off a dreadful pass into his own box with Vicario stranded, so Nketiah latches onto it and, from another acute angle, slaps a low shot that the keeper saves once again.
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15 min It’s going to be a long 75+613 minutes for Destiny Udogie, who rams in the back of Saka, earning himself a yellow card; Odegaard is handed one too for gesturing at the ref to dispense one.
14 min A chance! Saka taunts and tantalises Udogie, swaying and tossing lollipops, then caresses a gentle scoop top the back post where Jesus arrives, smacking a sidefooter from an acute angle that Vicario tips away.
12 min It’s pretty scrappy is this, this is, which will please Spurs. Fast starts have been characteristic of Arteta’s Arsenal, but they’ve not going going so far. Still, though, two crunching challenges from Nketiah, the second on Maddison, gets the crowd going again. Maddison finds this unhilarious.
10 min “I’m nothing if not hip to the latest trends, Daddy-O,” begins Mac Millings, “so for no reason other than that I was avoiding doing real actual work, here’s my all-time REM XI. I know there’s no goalkeeper, but there’s also no sense to any of it.
It’s the End of the World Azpilicueta Know It
Losing My Reli-John Stones
Radiobert Song
The Sidewinder Sleeps Zat Knight
Stand Cullis
(Don’t Go Back To) Ricky Villa
Suleyman on the Moontari
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth Dalglish?
Orange Rush
Pierre-Emerick Aubamebang and Blame
Geoff “Everybody” Hurst
Dedication: This one goes out to Peter The One Ndlovu.”
I can’t devote the time right now, but I’m certain I can come up with a suitable custodian given a few minutes.
9 min …but Spurs make first contact, Romero winning a header, before Udogie challenges Saka who, thinking he’s getting a corner, allows the ball to run behind only for the ref to appraise a goalkick.
8 min So far, it’s Arsenal pushing the pace, but Spurs look capable of conjuring something on the counter. But as I type, Saka wins a free-kick off Udogie which Odegaard will swerve in…
6 min Saka runs at Udogie and chops inside for Odegaard, whose backheel is intercepted and Johnson races clear down the left.Rice, though, is quickly across before the game is called back for a foul by Udogie on Saka.
5 min “Declan Rice,” begins Nick Smith. “If he wasn’t English he wouldn’t be so highly rated, but then lots of people would be saying he should be more highly rated but isn’t because he’s not English.”
4 min The corner is cleared to the edge, Sarr shoots and Son, a few yards out, turns in. Naturally, Drury quotes the complete words of Shakespeare then, prompted by Neville, makes out he knew it was offside all along.
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3 min First flash of Spurs, Maddison punching a pass out to Johnson who sways outside then nips inside White, who allows him the channel too easily, and the eventuating shot flicks up off him and behind for a corner.
2 min Spurs are playing out and almost immediately, Jesus nails Bissouma, but the bounce of the ball favours Spurs ands they bring the ball away.
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1 min Arsenal press Spurs high, forcing Vicario to kick long, and Vieira wins a free-kick off Sarr. It’s frantic, but Udogie keeps the head to shepherd behind.
1 min Away we go!
North London Forever: rabble rousing scene-setter or Chaps Market You’ll Never Walk Alone? Here it comes!
“For two hours, nothing else matters,” warbles Peter Drury, forever trusting in who he is – more than enough reason for me to embed this.
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Here come our teams!
“The core of supporting your team is warmth and sentiment – absolutely right,” writes Charles Antaki. “But it’s the players as well as the managers; hence the furrowed brows amongst many Arsenal fans about the fate of Aaron Ramsdale; a new, well-behaved pet has come into the household, and may be a better guard-dog than the old one; but it all seems so unfair on the dear old family retainer… yet no one wants the new one to fail and be cast out… but the old one must still be shown love… So yes, of course, sentiment; but sentiment isn’t uncomplicated.”
Yes, I was coming to him. Arteta is a ruthless man, though, and saw the chance to get in a keeper he thinks is better – and if not, who he can sell for profit – so in he went. Real talk, I don’t think either are that good, but in any sporting context, margins matter.
Email! “Rice is clearly overrated, as you intimate,” says Titan Tempura. “For that money you expect silk, not just iron, sort of pun semi-intended.”
I think he can get there if he adds goals because his ball-carrying can compensate for his lack of a killer pass. Either way, though, playing against him must be a hateful experience.
Also for your delectation:
What’s the greatest ever tune out of north London? I guess it’s difficult to look beyond Baker Street, but J Hus will have something to say about that.
I wonder if Spurs will play out short from the back. Against Man United, they were fortunate not to go behind trying that, and Arsenal are a far more cohesive pressing unit. They’ll be wary of leaving midfield space in the process, but with Rice mopping up there, I’d expect them to jump aggressively wherever possible.
Talking of Rice, where do we stand on him? I love his athleticism and leadership – to be captain of a Premier League side, as he was at West Ham, aged just 20, tells us something very serious about – but I’d like a bit more quality on the ball. Ultimately, though, he makes Arsenal so much harder to beat, which necessarily makes it easier for them to win.
I’ll be honest: typing all that in words has made me struggle to see anything other than an Arsenal win. I don’t think Spurs have the solidity or firepower to cope, but if they score first you never know.
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As for Spurs, they will, I imagine, be targeting the space in behind Oleksandr Zinchenko, who won’t stay at left-back and isn’t a great defender, with Maddison dropping into pockets and Johnson and Son darting into gaps, waiting to be fed in.
So where is the game? Arsenal will fancy their front players buzzing about the good-but-wild Romero and the good-but-inexperienced Van de Ven, and I worry about Pedro Porro’s ability to deal with Jesus. On the other flank, Destiny Udogie has made a brilliant start to his Spurs career, but Bukayo Saka is a different opposition to any he’s faced thus far. On that basis, I’d expect Arsenal to stretch the play and create overloads out wide, with a full-back inverting to try and do the same in the middle.
I’m also interested to see how Bissouma does today. At his best, he’s Declan Rice with feet, but that’s far easier to achieve when actual Declan Rice isn’t on the other team. I wonder if, had Thomas Partey been available, Rice might’ve started in the left channel to get after the Spurs midfield, but instead, he’ll be hunting down James Maddison, the man who makes them tick.
On which point, it’s a modern miracle that Sky’s Fanzone never ended in violence.
One of my favourite goals this century came in the 08-09 iteration of this fixture, Aaron Lennon competing Spurs’ comeback from 4-1 down. But what gets me every time is the fan in the celebration.
Naturally Postecogl0u isn’t arsed about what went on before he came in – Spurs’ dreadful away-derby record for example – and says these are the kind of games for which you join the big clubs. He’s picked Johnson for a full debut because his pace might be useful, and though Ivan Perisic is injured, the squad is a good shape. When facing a quality opponent, you have to make small adjustments, but he’s not altered much because the idea is to impose his team’s will and force Arsenal to change.
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I’m really looking forward to seeing how Fábio Vieira does today. He was, overall, poor last season, but has been very good so far this and is now keeping Emile Smith Rowe, Jorginho and Kai Havertz out of the starting XI. He will, though, find Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma a tricky proposition, physically and technically. I’m a little surprised he’s been given the start, but a good performance here would seriously set him up.
Public service announcement: regular readers will know I’m obsessed with shoving at them great stuff I come across, and goodness me have I got some of that for you here. I was in Ibiza the week before last and found myself in DC10, listening to one of the most uplifting, interesting, intelligent, surprising, erudite, technical and banging sets I’ve ever heard – and to my shame, I’ve heard a few. The DJ – and producer – responsible was Adam Port, who commandeered the party and infused it with the most obvious love of tunes you’ll ever come across, blending house, techno, afrobeats, r&b and pop into a downright thrilling journey through the sound of NOW that left us desperately trying to get back before the end of the season. Check him out:
Oh man, this is fantastic. Football is the greatest.
YOUNG FAN OF TURKISH CLUB SAMSUNSPOR waves to team bus as it passes each week, before it eventually makes surprise stop to say hello. Love to see clubs being mindful of these connections. Also love to see Goalkeepers Union looking out for their own 🧤🇹🇷🚌pic.twitter.com/vr3KSbfbGw
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) September 23, 2023
Gary Nev wonders if Jesus on the left will become more of a thing, and I can see why – he’s a goal-threat there, less so in the middle where his numbers aren’t great. However, the width and pace Martinelli brings seem – to me – to be crucial to Arteta’s side, and if I was Jesus, I’d be worried that next summer’s big signing will be a centre-forward.
As for Spurs, Brennan Johnson for Manor Solomon is the only change to the side that started last time out against Sheffield United.
Mikel Arteta tells Sky you can feel the emotion on both sides and, in classic footballese, notes that both sides “are in a good moment”. He’s without Leandro Trossard, who “felt something”, and also Gabriel Martinelli, but is happy to have Gabriel Jesus available, who’ll start on the left. Pressed on his choice of keeper, he says that he makes the choice on a game-to-game basis – he’s allowed to get away with this non-answer, not asked to explain why – and that’s our lot.
Let's have some teams...
Arsenal (an implacable 4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Odegaard, Vieira; Saka, Nketiah, Jesus. Subs: Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Kiwior, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Nelson, Elneny, Havertz.
Tottenham Hotspur (an implacable 4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson. Subs: Forster, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Richarlison, Royal, Dier, Solomon, Davies, Veliz.
Referee: Rob Jones
Preamble
There are few pursuits more partisan than football, one of the game’s rare beauties the way it allows us to abandon our dignity and integrity to safely indulge some of our worst inclinations. My lot: good; everyone else: hateful.
Of course, people being people, this glory has been exploited by some of the least pleasant individuals on the planet, but otherwise, there’s little more affirming than football blindness. In which context, it’s even more remarkable that every non-Spurs fan among us has secretly thought “I wish Ange Postecoglu was manager of my club, mate”.
It’s a strange thing, really, because what arouses football fans is neither complex nor secret, yet Postecoglou is one of very few managers who hit every spot every time. Fair dinkum mate, not everyone has presence and charisma, nor the ability to load every syllable and every pause with meaning and menace – “Alright, enjoy your lunch”, say. But every single manager can grasp what makes football football, appreciate the majestic weight of its total insignificance and act accordingly … yet they don’t.
But it is those who do – consider also Bill Shankly, Jock Stein, Alex Ferguson, Jürgen Klopp, Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman – who envelop their institutions in the warmth of their glow, personifying the values each of them should represent, inspiring players and supporters with a sense of belonging and of mission. It’s powerful, powerful stuff.
As such, it’s no surprise to see how quickly and how totally Postecoglou has transformed Spurs. They were, it’s fair to say, desperate for him – the board spending the early past of the summer chasing various others tells us some of the reasons why – but even so, he has already bought well, discarded well, and implemented a method of play that reflects who he is and who the club think they are.
Arsenal, on the other hand, went for something different. Mikel Arteta is a technocrat, a details man who, to get things going, needed players suited to his precise instructions. Naturally, that took time, but he’s right there now and his fast, attacking youthful team have accomplished the impossible: transforming Emirates Stadium into Football Ground.
Which is great – as Spurs fans can attest, there’s a lot of fun to be had with a likeable manager and team, even if you don’t win the big pots. However, as Spurs fans can also attest, until you win the big pots no one else is remotely exercised and, while – whoever we support – we can convince ourselves we don’t care that no one cares, we also know it’s nonsense. In the world of elite football, if you can’t lord it over anyone, you’re nothing.
Today, then, is a colossal occasion. In and of itself, it’s a derby, but more than that, it’s a derby that rarely disappoints and is now bossed by two managers committed to aggression whose clubs both feel better about themselves than for decades. This is going to be a buzz, mates.
Kick-off: 2pm BST
Updated
