As the North London derby takes centre stage, the underlying question is about Arsenal and whether they are the underdogs on Sunday.
At the end of the 21/22 season, a depleted Arsenal side came to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, hoping to create a miracle and qualify for the top four. Spurs battered the Gunners, aided by an untimely red card to Rob Holding. Thus, Arsenal lost their quest to qualify for the Champions League and handed Antonio Conte the keys to finishing fourth that term.
Fast-forward to now, and Arsenal have not lost a game to Tottenham, winning three of the subsequent four fixtures the two teams have played since. In all those fixtures, the Gunners have been the overwhelming favourites, and they have recorded two wins in two at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since that 3-0 defeat.
Mikel Arteta’s plans for the season already suffered an untimely blow with the controversial draw against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break. Arsenal’s season could potentially be defined by the next two games against Tottenham and Manchester City, both away encounters.
Hence, heading to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will feel more important than ever for Arteta. But this time around, his Gunners side could be in the mood of backs against the walls. With the injuries and suspensions to key stars, Arsenal could give the feeling of an underdog coming into the north London derby.
Injuries are a big issue for Arsenal
Throughout the whole week since Norway took on Austria on Monday night, the Arsenal fanbase has gone into a mini-meltdown after Martin Odegaard left the field with a nasty-looking ankle injury. The prospect of losing their captain has been huge for the Gunners fanbase, and now it is looking increasingly likely that he will sit out, with the question being for how long, especially with the game against Manchester City on the horizon.
With Odegaard sidelined, Declan Rice suspended for the NLD, and Riccardo Calafiori potentially missing with his own injury from the international break, the Gunners are not exactly flush with strength. The absence of the skipper and Rice means Arteta has lost some of his ideas on the pitch, which makes Arsenal the underdogs.
That said, there are no clear reports on Gabriel Jesus, which further casts doubts over his participation and maybe depletes Arteta’s options further. On paper, there are some quality stars and decent depth for Arsenal to bank upon, and it will take a tactical masterclass from Arteta to get a win, given that all his cards hit the jackpot.
Arsenal are this NLD’s underdogs
Losing players of Odegaard and Rice’s quality does deplete a side, but it remains to be seen how much it damages Arsenal on Sunday. They still have some depth, with Jorginho likely to come in for the English international. Arteta will tweak the frontline by bringing Kai Havertz in the Odegaard role, which could see one of Jesus or, most probably, Leandro Trossard take up the false-nine role.
Even with that, Arteta would have little time to change tactics and make the adjustments, which might make Arsenal seem different on the pitch. Losing the game is not an option, and at this point, Spurs fans are optimistic they might get a result, given that they have a few key stars returning to action after fitness troubles over the last few weeks, like Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke.
No matter how much the two sets of players get compared, Arsenal might seem strong overall. But they need to be structurally stronger in the absence of the two midfielders. Yet, big teams like themselves have to find a way to make things work. A win away from home in these circumstances will be sweet for Arteta and his team.
Arsenal need to do ‘Champions’ things
One thing about title-winning teams is that they find ways, even on the most difficult of roads. Arsenal are by no means champions here, although they are probably the closest to beating Manchester City for the grand prize.
Should their season be defined by absentees in a North London Derby and the game against Manchester City, and the results of those matches? Defeat, it is not a personnel problem but more a mentality issue. Arsenal will feel the underdog status in the NLD, but they need to find a way to get three points.
Arteta have the personnel to replace the injured players, and this is the game in which he has to show trust in some of the fringe stars. The system change and position tweaking may have to work wonders for the team. But the Gunners have the players to enter the game as underdogs and leave with three points.
