What to look for in final Tottenham preseason game v Arsenal

Tottenham takes on north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday in their final preseason tune-up for the 2021/22 season, so what should we look for and expect from Spurs? 

If Tottenham Hotspur wanted to have realistic preparation for Manchester City a week from Sunday, taking on Chelsea and Arsenal for the final two preseason friendlies was a great way to do it. Although just a friendly, the Chelsea match was fought like a real game throughout and we should expect the same as the Gunner travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in both teams final warm-up for the season. So here is what we are looking for.

Expect a real north London Derby

Both Arsenal and Tottenham are coming off of disappointing seasons and want to make an early statement. Thus, preseason or not, friendly or not, we should not expect the match to be a love affair. Rather, we should expect a rough and tumble north London derby. While we can do without the two-footed tackles, we should expect a physical affair.

Unlike last season where Tottenham would routinely sit back and try to hit teams on the counter, this term’s Spurs are more aggressive and like to get after it on both ends of the pitch. The same can be said for Mikel Arteta‘s approach, which is akin to Manchester City and relies on winning the ball back and maintaining possession.

Based on styles, we can expect a lot of tackles, a lot of pressure, and likely a lot of chances both ways.

Time for a few Tottenham debuts

While Pierre-Emile Højbjerg made his debut for the preseason midweek there are a few other players that fans and coach Nuno Espirito Santo would like to see before next weekend. Specifically, the Spurs need to get minutes for Joe Rodon, Tanguy Ndombele, and Giovani Lo Celso.

Interestingly, Ndombele has been with the club all summer having been overlooked by France for Euro 2020, yet has not featured for Spurs. Whereas both Lo Celso and Rodon are getting up to speed after playing for their countries this summer, Ndombele has simply not appeared.

We know he is not hurt and training as we have seen him on the club’s Twitter and he certainly participated in the open practice session. There seem to be some rumors he is upset over potentially losing a couple of mates but that is not a reason for him to not be playing. Ndombele really needs to get out there.

WIth Lo Celso and Rodon things are a bit different given their summer commitments. However, as two players who are likely to be heavily counted on this season, they need to get some run out.  Lo Celso just needs some minutes in the new system and some time with his teammates but Rodon needs them even more.

As of right now Rodon really is the only other center-half who can play on the left side in the team besides Eric Dier. Assuming another defender is not brought in, it is very likely it will be Rodon and new addition Cuti Romero handling the middle of the defense. While Romeo certainly will not play, Rodon needs to.

Scarlett gets a real runout with the squad

It is hard to say who all the strikers will be for Tottenham Hotspur this season when things are all said and done. With Harry Kane seeming likely to leave, there will likely be some new names getting the call. One player that seems almost certain to get some of the opportunities up front this season is Dane Scarlett.

After being left out of the final matches for both the U-18 and U-23 sides on Saturday, it seems almost certain that Scarlett will again be with the first team on Sunday to face Arsenal. Whereas the 17-year-old only got the final 10 minutes against Chelsea, it would be really nice to see him play a full 45 against Arsenal.

To really make this season one of growth for Scarlett he is going to have to play and if he does not play a significant part in a preseason North London Derby, then when will he. The lad needs a chance.

 Who is the Tottenham keeper?

First Hugo Lloris sat and watched a match as the backup. Then he was out altogether, reportedly recovering from an injury suffered in Euro 2020 this past summer. Yet only days before he had been well enough to be the backup keeper. Add in rumors that Lloris is not happy and the known fact that his contract expires in 2022 and one starts to wonder about the future of the club captain.

If Hugo Lloris starts and plays Sunday, that is a good sign that he will be here for at least this season. However, if Lloris is again out of the squad, then it may mean we have or will soon see the last of Lloris in a Tottenham uniform.

So those are a few things we are looking for, what do you want to see Sunday in the preseason NLD?