Pressing Issues

Tamworth Winners Tottenham Visit Edgy Emirates

Wednesday will see the Premier League’s second top goalscorers visit the league’s best defence in the second North London derby of the season – but neither Arsenal nor Tottenham are riding high on confidence heading into a crunch game.

Arsenal have lost their first and second home games of the season over the course of the past week – and have failed to score despite creating 7.63 expected goals (xG) during this time. As a result. the Emirates Stadium will likely be edgy, impatient and desperate for a result come Wednesday evening.

Discourse has emerged amongst Arsenal fans exploring a range of reasons why the Gunners have struggled with goalscoring this season, from blaming the personnel (Kai Havertz being the main fall guy) to attributing another bad run of form to Mikel Arteta himself – with Arsenal now winless in 3 after a 13 game unbeaten streak. It goes to show that a team is only as good as its last result.

The 800 or so Tottenham fans who visited Tamworth on Sunday would’ve been expecting to see their team dispatch the National League side while marveling in the magic of the FA Cup, but when the hosts took Tottenham to extra time at 0-0 there was a visible tension amongst players and fans alike.

To his credit, manager Ange Postecoglou remained calm and looked unphased even with Tamworth fans creating chants which seemed to discredit just about everything he holds dear (in typical English football fashion), and congratulated his team for “keeping their heads” and getting the job done.

This was Tottenham’s second successive win after an impressive 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool midweek.

The result of both teams’ recent form is likely to be a cagey, nervous game – not dissimilar to the season’s reverse fixture, which was decided by a Gabriel header as Arsenal won the game 1-0.

This time around Tottenham will be more confident defending set pieces, as a result of acquiring goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague. The 21-year-old has impressed across his first two games as a Tottenham player.

The North London derby typically provides goals, but with both teams low on confidence, it would be a surprise if Wednesday becomes a classic.

Slot’s Grudge Match

Tuesday night sees the reverse fixture of Liverpool’s only Premier League defeat this season, as the City Ground welcomes the league leaders. With Nottingham Forest sat in third on a run of 7 successive wins, Arne Slot’s Reds may face the toughest test of their season so far.

It is a game that could prove pivotal in the title race: should Liverpool lose, Arsenal will be presented a chance to go just 3 points back from the league leaders in their game on Wednesday – although they will have played an additional game.

The trademarks of Liverpool’s season so far have been their ruthlessness on the break and their ability to open up a defence in a single over the top pass. Yet with Forest’s low block (they have made just 33 attacking third tackles all season, which ranks lowest in the Premier League), the Reds will likely have to find another way through Nuno Espirito Santo’s defence.

Forest pose a counterattacking threat of their own, with wingers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga constantly posing a threat to teams who overcommit bodies forward. Given that Forest are the only team to win at Anfield all season, Liverpool will be wary of that.

This game will be tactically intriguing as Slot may have to adapt throughout while avoiding Forest’s counterattacking trap.

Derby Day For Potter, And Could Everton Smell Blood?

The Premier League’s 2 most recent hires may be familiar faces, but both Graham Potter and David Moyes have masses of work to do at West Ham United and Everton respectively.

Moyes returns to Goodison Park as a sight for sore eyes to Everton fans, with their club languishing a single point above the relegation zone having scored just 15 league goals across 19 games. The Toffees could fancy an upset as they host Aston Villa, who haven’t won away in the Premier League since October.

Having managed 518 games for Everton between 2002 and 2013, Moyes’ return feels like a fitting send off for Goodison Park in its final season. The Scotsman could be the man to reinstate the feel good factor at Everton, and victory over Champions League Aston Villa would certainly set the right tone.

He has plenty of quality at his disposal: Iliman Ndiaye, Orel Mangala and Dwight McNeil have all shown glimpses of ability over the course of the season, and it is down to Moyes to unlock more.

Graham Potter potentially faces an equally tricky task as the new West Ham boss. With no imminent threat of relegation, an undoubtedly talented squad and fans who are traditionally impatient, the Englishman will need to hit the ground running in order to win doubters over.

Potter got off to a losing start on Friday when his team suffered a comeback defeat at Villa Park in the FA Cup. He acknowledged that his side’s “talent is there but it’s about trying to get the team together as a collective”.

This statement arguably goes beyond the team and can extend to fans and the club as a whole. Fans’ trust in the board and connection with the club was damaged by the appointment of Julen Lopetegui, and with Potter the new face of the club, it is down to him to rebuild that. The Englishman will feel confident in his ability to do just that, but it will likely take time and patience.

His first Premier League game against Fulham will be a tough test, as the Cottagers are undefeated in 9 games, including draws to Arsenal and Liverpool, and a victory over Chelsea during this period.