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Jamie Carragher and Craig Bellamy analyse what went wrong for Spurs against Arsenal

Harry Kane cuts a dejected figure as Arsenal take a 1-0 lead in the north London derby

​​​​​​​Monday Night Football panellists Jamie Carragher and Craig Bellamy analysed what went wrong for Tottenham in their north London derby defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were widely tipped for a symbolic victory against their local rivals, but first-half goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez consigned them to a 2-0 defeat.

From their "risky" pressing tactics to Arsenal's hard-working front three, Carragher and Bellamy break down the factors that decided the contest.

Tottenham's pressing problem

The game was played at a frantic pace, with Tottenham set up to aggressively press Arsenal high up the pitch. "There's no doubt the intention was to really get after Arsenal," said Carragher. "Spurs were very weak and meek away against Manchester United, so maybe Pochettino thought, 'right, we've got to be on the front foot and be really aggressive'.

"They were really pressing high, at times in positions you wouldn't really expect. Christian Eriksen was part of a midfield three and yet he was going to press Arsenal's centre-back Laurent Koscielny. It's not something that you would often see, a midfielder stepping out to a centre-back like that."

The pressing tactics caused Arsenal problems at times in the first half, but the upshot was that they left spaces for the hosts to exploit. It was a particular issue with holding midfielder Mousa Dembele, according to Bellamy, who became too focused on his pressing responsibilities.

Mousa Dembele presses Mesut Ozil, leaving space behind him
Image: Mousa Dembele presses Mesut Ozil, leaving space behind him

"Dembele was losing concentration," said Bellamy. "He was watching everything going on in front, trying to press, but leaving big gaps in behind. The back three needed to give him information. The spaces were too big but it just kept happening.

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"If you're an Arsenal player it's a dream, because what happens is that you're able to roll balls into [Mesut] Ozil in that space. Then if [Davinson] Sanchez or [Jan] Vertonghen go to him you've got [Alexandre] Lacazette making runs in behind. It was causing Spurs trouble throughout the game."

Arsenal's three v threes

Arsenal fielded a front three of Sanchez, Lacazette and Ozil for only the second time in the Premier League, and the trio enjoyed plenty of three-on-three situations against Tottenham's central defenders. It was partly down to Tottenham's tactics but it was also a result of their own pressing.

"Arsenal were pressing three v three," said Carragher, who used an early chance for Lacazette as an example. "So when they won the ball, they had three Arsenal attackers against three Tottenham defenders because of that organised press, which is something we don't normally see with Arsenal.

Arsenal's attackers were left three on three with Tottenham's defenders
Image: Arsenal's attackers were left three on three with Tottenham's defenders

"That forced Hugo Lloris to go long. That was a theme of the game. But because Arsenal have gone to press and Spurs have knocked it long, it's still three v three. So if there's a turnover at the other end, that's going to cause you a big problem."

That's exactly what happened for the first goal. Arsenal's Sanchez was fortunate to be awarded a free kick following his namesake's challenge, but it came as a result of the Spurs defender being isolated from a long ball forward. "It's not a foul, but you're asking for trouble in those positions being that aggressive," said Carragher.

Tottenham's high line

Arsenal were also able to exploit Tottenham's high line, with Sanchez, Dier and Vertonghen stationed well inside Arsenal's half when Spurs were taking corners in the first period.

"Straight away I'm thinking that's high away from home," said Carragher. "If you go to a big game away from home as a defender, you're normally thinking, 'I've probably got to keep a clean sheet to win the game'. I don't think you're going to keep a clean sheet away at Arsenal being that aggressive against that quality."

Jan Vertonghen rushes forward to press Mesut Ozil as Tottenham hold a high line
Image: Jan Vertonghen rushes forward to press Mesut Ozil as Tottenham hold a high line

Carragher highlighted Vertonghen's determination to sprint forward and press Ozil on a number of occasions. "It's very brave asking your wide centre-backs to continually push in on number 10s, because eventually that quality will hurt you and we saw that in the lead-up to the first goal," he said. "I just think it was too much and too aggressive."

It certainly proved that way for the second goal, when Lacazette sprung Tottenham's offside trap and crossed for Sanchez to finish. "When you're that close to the edge of the box and the line is that high, your wing-backs are dead," said Carragher. "They can't help you. That's where you have a huge problem."

Arsenal show Spurs to the right

According to Bellamy, Arsenal deliberately forced Tottenham's defenders to play to the right by closing off their left-sided passing angles.

"They wanted to show them right every time and let Sanchez have the ball," explained Bellamy. "Play it down [Moussa] Sissoko's wing to keep Eriksen away from it. It was an ongoing theme of the game. They pressed narrow and it was to force them right.

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Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham

"No disrespect to Sanchez, but Vertonghen is better on the ball. He can find Eriksen, and if you get Eriksen on the ball, he's the dangerman. Sanchez is a young player, and a very good player at that, but he isn't as comfortable on the ball, and Sissoko is not the same as Eriksen."

The stats showed the success of the approach, with Davinson Sanchez having more touches of the ball (90) than any other Spurs player and Eriksen registering fewer touches (69) than in any other game in which he has completed the 90 minutes this season.

He added: "That was the best I've seen Arsenal play in a good two or three seasons. I thought they were outstanding. It was clear about their pressing but their organisation and their work rate was just as impressive, which it needed to be against a very good Tottenham team."

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