READY TO STRIKE

ARSENAL face a make-or-break North London derby as they look to shrug off back-to-back cup defeats.

Mikel Arteta’s side drew against Brighton before falling to a Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle.

They then exited the FA Cup after a penalty shoot-out loss to Manchester United.

Yet all is not lost, because the Gunners have the chance to regroup and refocus their attention on the Premier League title battle, currently six points behind Liverpool.

However, their next match could be a season-defining game for them as they host bitter rivals Tottenham today.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been in sticky form of late, beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup before needing extra time to triumph over National League side Tamworth.

SunSport’s Will Pugh and tactical guru Dean Scoggins have highlighted five areas how Spurs could KO Arsenal’s title bid this season.

Organised chaos

There is a perception about Tottenham that they play a very wild style of football, and while this is true to a degree there is more than meets the eye within Postecoglou’s system.

The Aussie manager’s uniquely rigid attacking structure incorporates a left-hand set and a right-hand set of players.

And in the last few weeks, that system has — believe it or not – been adapting amid a flurry of errors from young and inexperienced players parachuted into the team due to an injury crisis. The current treatment room list means the likely centre-back pairing for this game will force Radu Dragusin to be paired alongside Archie Gray, with brand new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in goal.

Spurs will look to nullify their mistakes by playing out from the back even more than has been seen previously, with Yves Bissouma dropping into the space between them as they split to receive the ball.

In attack, Tottenham look to operate as a pair of wheels on either side of the pitch but without much crossover to the other flanks.

In this system, only the centre-backs, holding midfielder and striker are asked to stick to their main position, often allowing them to dominate possession due to overloads.

Unfortunately, this system can make Spurs susceptible to teams setting up against them, as Arsenal did at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season. — Sun.