Experts praise Arsenal: I wouldn’t know them from Manchester City, they were so calm in the derby

Arsenal managed to win Sunday’s North London derby at Tottenham (2: 0), literally outplaying their opponents in the first half and now have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League. There is a sense of well-being in the team, which is also perceived by English experts.

After a cautious opening five minutes, Arsenal got into the role of squeezing the opponents like juicy oranges. Literally. As soon as the Gunners lost the ball, they immediately started pressing and took it back.

They took their second big chance, Bukay Saka’s centre was knocked into the net by Hugo Lloris. The change of score did nothing to change the complexion of the game, with only Heung Min Son’s failed finish standing out from Arsenal’s dominance. On the other side, Martin Odegaard made no mistake.

“You could see in everything Arsenal did that it was a plan. You can play against it, but Tottenham were off. I didn’t see any plan with him,” said former footballer and now the station’s expert Paul Merson on the Sky Sports podcast.

Tottenham may have had a plan, but the Gunners players were simply all over the place. The midfield grabbed every ball, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s midfield was full, despite operating on the left edge of defence. Again, his variation came in handy.

Zinchenko’s spinning of positions with Granit Xhaka, Eddie Nketiah’s unimaginable workrate two years ago or his calm passing in any situation, all reminded of Manchester City of the last five years.

“If you lived in New Zealand, hadn’t seen football for four years and Arsenal were playing in blue shirts, you would think they were playing Man City. That’s how good they were,” Merson continued.

Arteta’s work alongside Pep Guardiola on the Citizens bench is now clearly showing. Arsenal made the first mistake of the game in the first half, specifically Zinchenko. However, it was saved by the excellent Aaron Ramsdale.

The second half Tottenham were already angrier, but after ten minutes of great pressure and Ramsdale’s wizardry, the game evened out and Arsenal handled the end like an experienced team. He had simply uploaded from a terrific first half.

“I enjoy watching them play. It was the best 45 minutes of team performance I’ve seen this season. They were so confident and calm, which is not usual in a derby,” added former Liverpool player and now Sky expert Jamie Redknapp.

Source: Sky Sports