Jeff Graceffo - Arsenal Outclasses Tottenham 1-0 at the Emirates by Jeff Graceffo

Although heavily criticized for not spending money during the transfer window, Arsene Wenger's side defeated Tottenham 1-0 in the first North London derby of the season at Emirates Stadium. Due to Tottenham's 100 million pound spending spree, many including myself thought that the balance of power shifted in Tottenham's direction. However, like others, I didn't give enough weight to certain factors that should've played a larger part in my initial assessment.


In their first two games Tottenham did not manage to score one goal during open play as they won both games on penalty kicks. In spite of this, their manager, Andre Villas Boas trotted out the same starting lineup that has largely been ineffective in creating scoring opportunities. Therefore it should not be a shock that once again they were found wanting. Spurs had little rhythm and fluidity to their game. The combination on the left of Danny Rose and Nacer Chadli did provide some excitement but their final crosses into the middle were so bad that not one found a Spurs player. Moussa Dembele was non-existent, and Etienne Capoue was unable to keep possession of the ball. Surprisingly, Andros Townsend was their best player and most consistent threat. He showed no fear when taking on defenders one on one.

Meanwhile, Arsenal was phenomenal to watch. You had to tip your hat to them as they were clearly the better side. They played at a good, quick tempo as their players consistently made runs without the ball. Once they received the ball they quickly passed it to the next man as gaps began to open in the Spurs defense. They reaped the dividends as Theo Walcott's cross found Oliver Giroud who buried it near post to score the game's lone goal. Arsenal just got stronger as the game progressed.

It was disappointing that Spurs didn't use Lewis Holtby in the second half. He's an attacking player that could've changed the game. However, AVB felt differently and went with other selections.  Spurs were fortunate that their goalie, Hugo Lloris, was at the top of his game.

The three factors that I discredited in the lead up to the match are the coaching matchup, the familiarity of the squads with each other, and the timing. Initially, I thought the acquisitions gave Spurs the upper hand, but they haven't had enough time together to gel as a unit. It was only two days earlier that they acquired Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen. Meanwhile, Arsenal's unit played together for the past year. This familiarity gave Arsenal a massive advantage, and it was obviously a factor as Tottenham's defense made several mistakes that nearly let Arsenal turn this into a blow out. In addition, Arsenal's players seemed to know where their teammates would be as they played the ball quickly time and time again, while Spurs were slow and methodical.  When they are deeper into the season, and both teams have to play in Europe and in the FA & Carling Cups, Arsenal's lack of depth will affect them in the league.  Finally, I failed to take into account how much better Wenger is than AVB. I'm not much of an AVB fan. His teams play slow and defensive. If it were not for Gareth Bale I believe that Spurs would've been an 8th place team last year. He single handedly won games for them and allowed AVB to reflect any criticism of his coaching style.  AVB no longer has Bale to save him, and this may catch up to him by the time the winter break comes.

By Jeff Graceffo