By John Derek
New heroes could emerge for Arsenal and Tottenham in Saturday’s North London Derby with more riding on this fixture for two Brazilian forwards than most.
Recent seasons the talk ahead of this clash has centred on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Harry Kane, the latter boasting a record of 13 goals in 17 appearances against the Gunners.
While Kane will still be a key figure for Spurs, Aubameyang has moved on, but his replacement Gabriel Jesus has hit the ground running at the Emirates.
More from Football
Beth Mead: Our fight for girls' football in schools has been pushed back, but we won't give up01 October, 2022
Props to Mitrovic, the Fulham striker posting world-class numbers without world-class teammates01 October, 2022
How Arsenal and Spurs could line up for derby with Arteta's injury boost and Conte's 3-5-2 call30 September, 2022Jesus has struck four times for Mikel Arteta’s men since a summer switch from Manchester City, but eyebrows were raised when he was left out of the Brazil squad for this international camp.
National team boss Tite insisted the Arsenal attacker remains part of his plans with the winter World Cup a matter of months away, but Spurs forward Richarlison made the most of his chance by scoring three goals in games against Ghana and Tunisia over the last fortnight.
It means away from the domestic interest in this fixture, plenty of Selecao supporters will also tune in to see if Jesus can get some redemption or if Richarlison will continue to hold the upper hand in the battle to lead the line for Brazil in Qatar.
“We are talking about two amazing number nines and Tite is lucky,” Spurs manager Antonio Conte said with a smile.
“I think we are talking about two really top players and every manager has to be happy to have this type of problem.”
Tottenham have an injury concern over Dejan Kulusevski, which means Richarlison is expected to partner Kane and Heung-min Son in a three-man attack.
The ex-Everton striker is no stranger to this type of tense fixture and has decent pedigree.
Richarlison memorably struck a winner for Fluminense against rivals Flamengo in 2017, while he netted in a 2-0 win for the Toffees at Anfield last year, but was also sent off in one of his nine Merseyside derbies.
Conte knows the 26-year-old, who had a banana thrown at him during Tuesday’s friendly against Tunisia at Parc des Princes, will be ready to deliver against Arsenal.
Related Stories
He added: “We are talking about a player that has no fear. I think he is a player who in every moment, also during the training sessions, shows great commitment but for sure the first thing I see in him is that he has no fear.
“He is not scared about anything. Not about the atmosphere, not about the noise and he is really strong. Into the pitch, also with the opponent, it is difficult to play against him because he has no fear.”
It was a 3-0 win for Tottenham over Arsenal in May, which saw momentum swing in the race for the top four.
Spurs eventually pipped the Gunners to the post, but Conte knows opposite number Arteta has recruited well this summer.
“Last season happened at the end we overcame them in the race for Champions League but it doesn’t mean they were less stronger than us,” Conte warned.
“They deserve great respect because they are working very well with Arteta for many years. They are backing him in every situation. We have great respect but we are going there to play our game and to try to do our best.”
Arteta: Jesus unlucky with yellow cards
By Martin Bedford
Those involved at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium defeat in May might have learned lessons but Arsenal’s hopes of extending their lead at the summit – even if just temporarily – will also be boosted as the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandar Zinchenko have added a steely, winning mentality since their summer arrivals from Manchester City.
Jesus, in particular, is a player for the big occasion although his combative nature has already seen him accrue four yellow cards in the seven Premier League games – matching his goalscoring output for his new club.
If emotions do take hold, however fleetingly, of the Brazilian striker on Saturday and he picks up another caution he will be suspended for the visit of Liverpool eight days later.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, though, is not about to reel in his forward and the man who largely carries of the hopes of finally taking Arsenal back to the promised lands of Champions League football, a year on from coming so close until that loss in N17.
“It’s a thin balance,” he said. “It’s in his nature, he gets a lot of contact and puts his foot and his body on the line in every situation. He’s a been a bit unlucky with the number of yellow cards that he had. Some of them we could not prevent because they were a little bit disciplinary, but yeah we want to avoid that for sure.”
If Jesus can deliver in his first north London derby and his teammates can remain level-headed enough, Arteta will be feeling an overriding emotion come Saturday evening, that of the joy of securing victory over his near-neighbours and simultaneously reaffirming Arsenal’s title-challenging potential.
Klopp: I’d buy Trent if coaching any club
By Richard Tanner
It comes as no surprise that if Jurgen Klopp was England manager then Trent Alexander-Arnold would be his No 1 right back in next month’s World Cup.
The Liverpool boss does not agree with Gareth Southgate’s view that Kieran Trippier has a better all-round game but accepts the England boss has an embarrassment of riches in that position, with Kyle Walker and Reece James also in the equation, and respects Southgate’s decision to leave Alexander-Arnold out for both the recent Nations League fixtures.
Klopp thinks there is too much focus on Alexander-Arnold’s occasional defensive frailities – preferring to put the blame on Liverpool’s defending as a unit this season – and not enough attention paid to his “world class” offensive qualities.
“I’d decide differently obviously, but I’m not in charge,” said Klopp. “My point of view, it’s an easy pick. Whichever team I would coach in the moment, I would sign him because he is exceptional.
“If you judge a player you think about his overall package. The skill set Trent has for being influential in possession is mad for a right back. I don’t know if I ever saw a right-back like this – passing here, passing there, switching sides, taking free-kicks, corners, smart decisions, quick decisions.”
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 30, 2022
'Trent didn't come back in a party mood!'
Jurgen Klopp on Trent Alexander-Arnold's omission from Gareth Southgate's England squad that drew with Germany.pic.twitter.com/RUOGwuA8Xc
Klopp insists Alexander-Arnold is a good defender – “he wouldn’t get in my team if he wasn’t” – but admits he doesn’t always defend well and, at 23, is still working on improvements. He insists however that the Academy graduate is often unfairly criticised for being out of position when he is following his manager’s orders to press high up the field.
“As a unit we didn’t defend well this season,” he added. “Trent is a part of that but with all the other three as well, or in our case, all the other six as well.
“You need everybody involved and working together and we were not good at that. Trent did not do well in these moments as well. In other moments he defends exceptionally well but for him – in his situation – nobody mentions it.
“You can say ‘you should defend better’ but you cannot have everything because if you want to play high press, you need players in specific positions and Trent is often the highest player from the back – I told him he has to be there. If the next ball goes long on that [right] side then Joel Matip, Joe Gomez or Ibrahima Konate has to cover and that is fine.
“It is the risk we take. It is not a crazy risk and we win the ball nine times out of 10 but in the one moment we don’t win it, people ask ‘where is Trent?’ That is a question that I don’t understand from people who watch football so often.”
Potter ‘not in business’ of Chelsea comparisons
By Jon West
Graham Potter has vowed to make the fans proud of a Chelsea team that is “recognisable” as well as victorious ahead of his first Premier League match in charge against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Potter raised eyebrows in Chelsea’s Champions League draw with RB Salzburg before the international break when employing Raheem Sterling as a not-particularly back-tracking wing-back, but promised Chelsea supporters they would soon get used to his methods, which are unlikely to replicate Thomas Tuchel’s.
“I’m not in the business of comparing myself to him or anyone else,” he said. “I’m just going to try and put a team out on the pitch that is recognisable, something the supporters are proud of, and ultimately a winning team.
“Change is good and it’s bad and it’s challenging. It’s how you deal with it, how you work with it. It’s well documented what has happened with ownership, the coach, and people.
“The challenge is how you align the resources you have, how you align the football idea with everything you’ve got and make it successful.
“The past, resources or history don’t guarantee you anything in this league. There are clubs that have spent lots of money and haven’t achieved things they wanted. It’s about getting everything lined up and strategy clear.”
Chelsea were notorious for a high churn of managers in the Roman Abramovich era and new owner Todd Boehly lost little time in dispensing with Tuchel after a 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in early September.
“I don’t want to be that guy asking for time but the coaching process, that type of development, it helps if you have time,” Potter said. “I understand we’re in a world where there isn’t a lot of patience either. All I can do is try my best, try to improve and whatever people think on the outside is out of my control.”
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/b6F0CSc
Post a Comment