The North London derby: A lot more than bragging rights at stake

The North London Derby is one of the most hotly contested matches in England

This Sunday we will witness the second North London Derby of this year’s Premier League. These games have almost always been exciting but this time there is more than just pride at stake for both teams. Arsenal, who recently got knocked out by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, will be desperate for a win while Tottenham are eager to put their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea behind them. Arsenal has several key players in the form of Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Yaya Sanogo and Kieran Gibbs out with different injuries which is surely not how they would have wanted to go into the clash.

Spurs, who are looking for their 50th Derby win, have their own set of problems as their summer signings haven’t exactly lit up the Premier League. Tottenham have had a good time on the European stage but have failed to be as convincing in the Premier League which is worrying since they spent around £100 million on signings since the departure of star player Gareth Bale.

Spurs have spent huge amounts on players like Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela (£56 million for the former two), Nacer Chadli, Vlad Chiriches, Etienne Capoue, and Christian Eriksen but none of these players have helped the team much as they are still finding their feet in the Premier League. Soldado for example has been brilliant in the Europa League scoring 5 times in as many appearances but has failed to get the it going in the Premier League, netting just 6 times in 23 appearances. Eriksen has shown promise scoring 5 times in 25 games but has usually been deployed on the left side of the midfield instead of in his preferred number 10 role.

Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood will be determined to prove a point as he does not want to lose his position as head coach of the team. Legendary Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal has been tipped to take over Tottenham next season which would have made Sherwood wary as he had previously stated that he wanted to be with Spurs for the long haul. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is infamous for sacking under performing managers and has dismissed 8 coaches since he took over as chairman of the club in 2001.

Sherwood has said he would like to take his team to the Champions League next season and a win over Arsenal would be a big confidence booster for the under pressure manager.

Sherwood has done a good job with the squad with players like Emmanuel Adebayor and Nabil Bentaleb have really come out of their shell under him. Bentaleb has won numerous plaudits for his performance this season in games like Swansea and Crystal Palace, where he won the Man of the Match award. The 19-year-old was his team’s best passer in the 4-0 loss to Chelsea completing 95% of his passes before his influence was unfortunately trimmed after Kaboul was shown a red.

Tottenham will rely on the talents of former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor on Sunday. The 30-year-old, who holds the record for most goals scored in North London Derbies – netting 8 for Arsenal and 2 for Spurs, has been in superb form this season scoring 8 times in his last 14 Premier League appearances. The Spurs defense will have to be on high alert against Arsenal as stats show that Tottenham have made 13 defensive errors this season, 3 against Chelsea alone, which is more than any other team in the Premier League.

Arsenal, who currently sit third in the Premier League, will be gunning for a win after suffering Champions League heartbreak at the hands of Bayern Munich. The Gunners will do everything in their power to achieve a win to show their critics that they can still triumph over their rivals in spite of having so many players injured. Arsene Wenger’s team have gathered 59 points in the Premier League and are only behind Liverpool on goal difference.

A win over Tottenham could see Arsenal leapfrog Liverpool if the Merseysiders lose or draw against Manchester United. The Gunners have a chance of overtaking Liverpool as the Reds have not won a game at Old Trafford since 2009 giving Wenger’s team some hope as they travel to White Hart Lane.

The Gunners have just kept one clean sheet in their last seven League games but will be boosted by the return of Laurent Koscielny who has forged a formidable partnership with Per Mertesacker this season. Mertesacker put in a strong performance against Bayern and made several crucial interceptions which kept the Baverians at bay. The big German has scored two goals in his last three Premier League games against Spurs, who are sure to be wary of him on Sunday.

Arsenal , who have lost their last 3 away games, will start the game with Olivier Giroud leading the attack. Giroud has had a good record so far in the Premier league against Tottenham, and has put two goals past them till now. The persistent Frenchman has netted the opening goal in seven different League matches this season which is more than any other player. The 27-year-old can really bully defenses when he is in top form and is expected to keep the opposition on their toes this weekend.

Both the clubs hope to avoid any mistakes which could prove costly at this point in the season. Arsenal and Tottenham have their respective weaknesses and are not really playing at their best right now, so the outcome of the match is anybody’s guess.