Matchday Live: Arsenal v Tottenham
By Ryan Wrenn
Half-time Thoughts
Seeing as how Tottenham broadly looked the better side, the half ended with Arsenal one goal up.
That goal came courtesy of poor officiating and a well-taken own-goal from Kevin Wimmer. It was, simply put, not the best way to go back into the locker room for the interval.
That said, prior to Wimmer’s mistake Spurs looked to have a strangle hold on the game. The three centre-back formation featuring Dier, Vertonghen and Wimmer was working to contain Arsenal’s attempts to get the ball forward quickly. Tottenham were dominating possession in midfield, with the centre-backs coming up and Eriksen dropping deep as needed. There were even a few close calls in front of Arsenal’s goal.
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Close calls don’t win football matches though, and Pochettino will be focused on how to make those chances count in the second half. It’s hard to see him being disappointed on a personnel level, as everyone’s acquitted themselves well. Kane looks like a player who hasn’t featured in over a month, but he’s still got time to grow into the game.
The star of the show thus far though is Dembélé. The Belgian’s ball-control and calm passing have been central to virtually every Spurs foray into Arsenal’s third. Arsenal would do well to cover him more closely in the second half.
As for what Tottenham can do, it wouldn’t hurt matters to have a bit more pace through the middle. Kane’s never been lightning-quick, so having Son accompany him in running down long balls over Arsenal’s backline might help matters.
Otherwise, this is a match that Tottenham can reasonably expect to grow back into. Keep on playing the game they have been playing — minus the own-goal — and at least one goal should come.