Team news:
Tottenham: Chadli (ankle), Rose (leg - doubt), N'Jie (hamstring - doubt), Son (ankle - doubt), Bentaleb (ankle - doubt), Pritchard (ankle)

Arsenal: Wilshere (ankle), Welbeck (knee), Rosicky (knee), Ramsey (hamstring), Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring), Walcott (calf), Bellerin (groin), Koscielny (hip - doubt)

Mauricio Pochettino and Arsene Wenger press conferences

Scouting report by Michael Cox

In their second season under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham continue to appear well-organised, hard-working and compact without possession. They’re unbeaten since the unfortunate opening-day defeat at Old Trafford, but require more attacking spark to turn draws into victories.

Four of the back five are ever-presents in the Premier League this season. Hugo Lloris takes a aggressive starting position and is capable of sweeping behind a high defensive line, where Toby Alderweireld has made an excellent impact alongside Jan Vertonghen at the heart of the defence.

Right back Kyle Walker has improved positionally and still offers tremendous speed going forward. On the opposite side, Ben Davies is the steadier defender, but Danny Rose’s development under Pochettino has been impressive and he’s another with tremendous speed.

Spurs’ midfield is extremely proactive, with Pochettino’s core strategy about pressing the opposition intensely. Eric Dier, formerly considered a defender, has been surprisingly effective in a defensive midfield role, usually alongside Dele Alli, who moves forward into attack more, boasting a tremendous first touch and some clever trickery.

At the top of the midfield trio in Spurs’ 4-2-3-1 formation, Pochettino can use either Christian Eriksen or Mousa Dembele. Eriksen is a diminutive creator who likes receiving the ball between the lines, playing through-balls and having shots from range, whereas Dembele starts much deeper and excels with his ability to slalom past opposition challenges, although he has a frustrating tendency to offload the ball sideways rather than look for a killer ball.

Erik Lamela has started the last six Premier League games on the right, and while he tends to drift in and out of matches, he consistently provides killer passes on the edge of the box, and has managed two league goals too.
Up front, Harry Kane managed just two goals in his first nine league games this season, but has now managed four in his last two. Besides, while he wasn’t providing the ruthless goalpoaching of last season, he’s dropped into deeper positions and his link play has been particularly impressive, although he needs midfield runners charging past him


Read more at: http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20151106/arsenal-v-tottenham

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Read more at: http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20151106/arsenal-v-tottenham-hotspur

A view from the other side:

MrS wrote:Sanchez's and Giroud will be a handful - we need to be on top of our game and no mistakes especially at the back . Lets hope Poch has a good game, it may just come down to this-taticle prowess?
Im partly feeling optimistic and sense we can get a result. Im also feeling nervy, it all going wrong (the Spurs way) concede early, man sent off, Poch having a nightmare and picking up injuries.
COYS!

TOTTI wrote:I think we're lucky that they tend to try and play tippy tappy football which will suit our defence a lot more. It seems that crosses is our problem with Walker, Rose, Davies and Trippier ALL allowing their players to get crosses in far too often. With Giroud up top though, they may just do so.

THFC-Israel wrote:High pressing, solid defending (if we don't go behind in first half I think we can carry it through in the second). Dier should kick Sanchez's *bleep* head in

SoCalSpurs wrote:I have faith (strange for me to say this) that our backline can deal with Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud. To me the key is what their backline is going to be and if we can break through or not.

Tomo wrote:very difficult to predict this game. Arse do have absolute top quality in AM with Sanchez and Ozil as well as Cech in goal however in some games this season teams like Man City have struggled when we have used our superior fitness to overwhelm them.

We can do a good job on them but our energy levels will need to be at the max to press them high and prevent them getting into a rythem.

Their 'injury crisis' is a complete exaggeration as most players that are out for them are squad players, it's not like Ozil, Sanchez, Coqulin, Corzola, Cech are out. However if we do press high without Ox and Walcott they lack pace to hit us on the break which is why I think we can really press them hard, even Anderlect had serious pace, That could be a big advantage for us.

webbo wrote:With Bellerin out I'd play Rose to really attack the right side. Son on the left, with Rose overlapping and Eriksen through the middle, Lamela on the right. Hopefully Koscielny is out as well, would be huge for us.

https://thefightingcock.co.uk

Great preview man.


I would have been A LOT more confident with bellerin and Ramsey but we gotta do without them sadly.

Let's hope Debuchy has gotten used to the pace of the game with the last 2 matches. He'll be playing against Son and Rose who are quite tricky and pacy themselves.

Wonder who will start at RW though. Joel again?

Tottenham are unbeaten in like 10 games now so they are definitely not to be taken lightly. But we are at home going for the title so we should beat them if we are to build more momentum.

THFC-Israel wrote:
Dier should kick Sanchez's *bleep* head in

(Typically awesome preview, btw )

Funny that previously the NLD used to be so open with weird scorelines like 4-4, 5-4, 5-2 etc but now they are so closely fought lol

Koscielny, Arteta, Ospina, Reine-Adelaide, Macey, Pleguezuelo, Iwobi and Kamara all trained with the squad today.

let's not forget this before NLD pls

https://twitter.com/bzafc/status/646796723239710720

I am still pissed with Arsene for pussing out after first goal against Bayern. Ur league title contender not the newly promoted scrubs to bend over ffs. Still going with Arsenal with this one though

We are about to go into the international break so the players have to leave on a good note and we have to continue our good run of form in the league. The thing that worries about this game is the defensive efforts of our attacking players. That lot have some attacking full backs that love to bomb forwards so Sanchez and Campbell are going have to defend better than they did on Wednesday.

Also need Debuchy and Campbell to put in a good performance, these aren't the sort of games where you can get away with carrying one or two average players. You need everyone to turn up, be up for the scrap and perform well. They have been average so far this season so i hope they raise their game tomorrow.

Great job Urban.

Will miss bellerin, but believe Debuchy will be fine after playing few games. I think the same team played Bayern will start tomorrow.

Time to put Spuds in their place again.

Kind of odd the MC preview focuses solely on Spurs, right?

Yea it's a scouting report so he basically talks about the other team

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTShKCRWsAAqSFe.jpg

THFC team: Lloris (c), Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Alli, Dier; Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane

Cech; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Campbell, Ozil, Aleixs; Giroud

So many surprises in our team

I am pretty nervous about this game, tbh.

srigooner wrote:So many surprises in our team

I am pretty nervous about this game, tbh.

Why so cynical?

Pirloisjesus wrote:

srigooner wrote:So many surprises in our team

I am pretty nervous about this game, tbh.

Why so cynical?

I am always cynical before bigger games. Over a decade of being a gooner taught me the value of keeping expectations rock-bottom against most opposition. It's my way of protecting myself from the pain and shame and embarrassment of typically Arsenal-esque performances in crucial games.

Monreal is unreal.

fml need Mertz quote no offside trap again >.<

These brainfarts in defence ffs , will take a draw fr
This considering we have yet to create anything resembling a chance

They are deservedly ahead, and we did the same mistake as the opening goal in Munich when Gabriel needlessly stepped up.

FFS they are so bloody well organized in defense and in attack, and are aggressive in pressing and tackling to boot.

Not going to end well for us, this. We always fack this shit up.

Giroud is asking to get sent off again. What an idiot.

Our right side suck donkey ball, Rose has nothing to worry about

Santi looks tired, he lost way too many balls.

0 shots in 45 minutes in a home game.

Cazorla completely being destroyed in midfield by a bunch of scrubs.

My ears have cancer from the wonderful commentary on Sky, meanwhile.