Behind Enemy Lines: Tottenham - Arsenal Preview... from a Spurs perspective

I'd like to thank Toby for very bravely stepping into the firing line of the Gun Show and previewing the North London Derby for us. Please be gentle with him and remember that he chose to support Tottenham at a very young age (under the influence of his father) and despite this terrible mistake he is a really good guy! You can follow him on twitter @tobypratt where he had a very enjoyable war of words with Sir Alan "1-1 at Newcastle" Sugar.

Impressions of Arsenal

This is a hard one. At times Arsenal have looked fantastic. Despite my obvious dislike of the Woolwich Wanderers, you have a very talented squad that has the ability to play a delicate, quick and decisive game. More defensively solid this year, my worst fears have been quashed by some vital injuries, which may have cost you a Premier League title. Theo Walcott posing as a hippy signalling the end of his season was unfortunate for all concerned and as Spurs fans we can also appreciate the loss of an inspiring Welshmen.

Any Arsenal supporter who has doubts over Arsene Wenger needs to take a reality check, despite the lack of trophies, you have a set of football principles that the team abides by and can be extremely entertaining on occasion. Complaints of not signing another striker may be justified, but how many affordable players are available who would dramatically improve your squad? Consider this, Roberto Soldado cost £26million. You should appreciate what you have. Put it this way; would you rather our last nine seasons over yours? During this period we have a single Carling Cup triumph and one Champions League campaign to savour. Precisely.

From a football perspective, it’s a shame that your challenge for league glory has petered out, as it’s vital for the good of the game that sides like Arsenal and us (one day, maybe) compete with the financially doped clubs Chelsea and Manchester City – Liverpool and United do not count. From a Spurs perspective, it’s brilliant and long may it continue.

Thoughts on Tim Sherwood

Fans are split on him.

Seen by some as an opportunist, tactically inept and outspoken Harry Redknapp wannabe; I lean towards the opinion that Tim Sherwood is an ambitious, tactically flexible and honest young coach who has the potential to be successful. He’s gaining experience on the job and has made some mistakes along the way, like many a Spurs manager before him. However, I get the impression that unlike the others, he is not afraid to learn from them.

His post match press conference after our latest capitulation last week was met positively by the majority of supporters. The club has lost a bit of its soul in recent years with the Chairman focusing on financial gain over building a football side that can compete for top honours. Despite his words being a little strong for some of the more delicate members of our squad, Sherwood spelled out many of the problems the club face at this time. Although focused on the playing staff, I hope the Tottenham board were listening as he was clearly including them in his thoughts.

Despite appearing to be an Arsenal supporter in his younger days, Tim clearly cares about the club and wants to integrate academy players into the first eleven when possible, rather than selecting more established players out of position. Bentaleb and Fryers have had their critics, but the former has looked assured in the majority of games since his debut in December.

The problem for Sherwood is that the job at Spurs has come too early for him. When it was announced he would be taking over from AVB with an 18-month contract, many were shocked, but it was hardly surprising. None of our wanted men wished to take over mid season and Tim Sherwood was astute enough to secure a decent payday for when a ‘big name we’ve been crying out for’ inevitably starts in July for pre-season.

If he has the patience to work under a Van Gaal type for a spell or cutting his cloth with a Championship side, in the long term I believe Sherwood would make an excellent coach at White Hart Lane. Due to Daniel Levy’s preference to get rid of the manager rather than question deeper issues surrounding the club, we may well miss out on potentially a very capable manager.

Would you rather have Sherwood or Moyes?

Moyes is a bit of a non starter for me, Everton was his level and as a club we are aiming higher than that. With time Moyes should be able to rekindle some of the winning mentality instilled into a fairly average group of players by Sir Alex Ferguson last season, if only you could bottle the stuff? Let’s face it, he’s on a long contract and a trained monkey could get United challenging for silverware, with a David Gill type making sure you don’t spend silly amounts of money on Marouane Fellaini, oops.

For a Spurs fan, a far more pressing question is Sherwood or AVB? Andre Villas Boas managed to overcomplicate what is really a simple game, played by stereotypically simple folk. The excellence of Gareth Bale covered the cracks in his methods, which is clear to see now. If the second “Welsh Wizard” (with the first being Cliff Jones) hadn’t played so well last term, Andre would have been handed his P45 long before he was finally invited to leave Hotspur Way for good, with his match preparation manuals and so on in hand. Transforming Bale into a world class player was his legacy at Tottenham, but ultimately what cost him his job.

Power struggles between the coaching staff and board are commonplace at N17 and AVB, after seemingly winning support this summer, lost it big time. He wanted a Director of Football, which he got, but his chosen transfer targets weren’t secured in the summer. Villas Boas fell out with the tabloid media as well, which in British football is the equivalent of signing your own death warrant. A new face was needed, but nothing dramatically has changed.

Thoughts on Emmanuel Adebayor

I know he is not the most popular man around your way, but he is a changed man from that fateful day in Manchester. Personal and professional traumas have made Emmanuel Adebayor a leader and one of the more influential voices in the Tottenham dressing room. Since being back in the first team after a bizarre falling out with Villas Boas, he appears to have found a new lease of life and is really enjoying himself at Spurs. We will be taking over paying all of his extravagant wages from former club Manchester City this summer, so those more sceptical may point to that he is playing to save his footballing career in England.

How much are you enjoying United’s downfall?

Greatly. I have been told that traditionally we have had a respectful relationship with the Red Devils, with some memorable games from yesteryear. However, since the Premier League’s inception we have been second-best to them, like so many of the top sides. We are undefeated in two seasons against Manchester United, which should be seen as an achievement, but really highlights the end of a dominant era for the red side of Manchester.

Key battles / where will the game be won or lost?

Contrary to our coach’s sentiments, we lost the last encounter in the midfield; as in we didn’t have one. The likes of Sandro, Dembélé and Bentaleb need to be disciplined to ensure your creative, counter attacking style is nullified. With a shed load of injuries at the back, Giroud has the opportunity to put a few more past our strongest performer this season, French captain and compatriot Hugo Lloris. It will be a massive blow for us if he leaves this summer.

Hopes and expectations for the rest of Spurs season

There are very few. As fourth place is beyond us (and bearing in mind this was written before Thursday), a Europa League run or perhaps triumph [oh dear - ed] would give our supporters something to cheer for and restore some faith in the team moving forward. It would be reward for what has been another truly frustrating season for us mere supporters, or customers as many fans feel like.

Despite the negatively surrounding the club, fifth or sixth is about right for us in the league, dreams of a top-four challenge were kept alive by the media desperate for a competitive fight for Champions League qualification. Realistically this hasn’t been the case since our embarrassing performance at the Etihad, at least we weren’t the only team to concede six there [touché - ed].

As nobody is convinced Tim Sherwood will be at the club once the players return from Magaluf, Miami and other popular holiday destinations for Tottenham players; it is hard to see how much the rest of this season will go towards a better campaign next time around.

What will the game tell us about Spurs?

Not a great deal. Some of the players will be playing for their long-term futures at the club, whether they realise this in time is anyone’s guess. The atmosphere should be electric, unless we get humiliated, which in current circumstances could well happen. Despite this, a small part of me feels that the game offers a great opportunity for the squad to undo some of the damage inflicted on us in a few telling games this season.

Predictions

As we’re at home, a narrow victory for us. In recent years the goals have dried up in the North London derby, but being the optimist I’ll go 3-2 to the Spurs. If Sherwood has learnt from the FA Cup tie from earlier this year, I think we should have the edge. This is a hopelessly optimistic prediction, as I can’t face writing what I really think will happen.

Behind Enemy Lines: Manchester United - Arsenal preview... from a United perspective

My sincere thanks to Carl for braving Gooner territory to preview this game for The Gun Show. It's interesting to hear what fans of the opposition have to say on our team as well as their own, particularly when they support United and their team is looking a bit mince. Over to you, Carl...

Impressions of Arsenal

Growing up as a Manchester United fan in the all conquering 90’s, Arsenal were the first team to truly challenge our unequivocal dominance. Being accustomed to success, the triumph of Wenger’s team in 1998 came as a shock to the system. The broody mix of Gallic power and craft along side an ageing rock of defenders pierced United’s invincibility.  Then followed the extraordinary mix of pace and skill of the Henry–Pires era, which was frighteningly good, and made me sick to my stomach watching.

The demise of Arsenal over the last ten years is akin to seeing a once swaggering lothario, who you grudgingly respected, slowly succumbing to alcoholism. Trudging wildly from one embarrassment to the next, the 8-2 defeat being the nadir where said lotahrio turned up pissed at a wedding, punched the groom, then fell on the cake, losing the once held respect of everyone in the room. It’s a darkly amusing, yet sorry sight. It came to a point when looking at the scoreboard that day that I actually felt sorry for Arsène. That is a thought that, from a United fan, should strike shame into any Arsenal supporter.

This season I’ve started hating Arsenal again. They seem to have finally formed some kind of identity and balance to the side and have grown in confidence with their big name ‘Galactico’. I still think they lack that second key striker and a couple of back-up centre backs to truly challenge for the league. You could see them losing a couple of games around Christmas and the whole thing falling apart again. That would be a shame in some sense, as they’ve only just got back on the wagon.

Thoughts on David Moyes

The main problem for David Moyes is his face. There’s not really a lot he can do about that; it’s his face. But I believe it has caused him no end of trouble.  He seems to have two main facial expressions. First is his gormless, crooked grin stare, which was largely seen early on in pre-season when posing for badly judged PR shots. The one of him sat behind the desk at Carrington with a does-this-chair-fit, work placement posture was particularly cringe inducing. The second is his befuddled, angry stare. It’s the kind of stare you’d have if you’d just walked into the living room to find your dog dry humping the chaise longue [I had to google this.  You learn something new every day - ed]. This scowl doesn’t project any sense of control; it just makes him look baffled and frustrated.

Of course it is ludicrous to suggest that Moyes facial signals have a huge contributing factor in how United perform on the pitch. But knowing how well the media like to weave narratives, particularly the ‘downfall of United’ story they have been waiting so patiently for, a picture of Moyes’ troubled expression on the touchline lends particularly well next to an ‘end is nigh’ headline.  This perception slowly feeds through to the players, and they immediately have a get-out clause for a bad performance. I’m only half joking here.

Moyes is an above-average manager. He hasn’t proven anything otherwise in his career to date. Of course he has a chance to disprove it now, but there is no evidence to suggest he will. Above-average managers can win trophies with good teams: Mancini and Houlier are two recent cases in point. But they don’t win Champions Leagues that often and they certainly don’t usher in, or continue, periods of dominance.  And that’s fine in some sense; all periods of dominance eventually end. What’s important is that in 5 years time Manchester United are still in a position to compete at the top. And unless it goes catastrophically wrong over the next few years (with the Glazers at the helm, don’t discount it) they probably will be. Whether that will be with Moyes or someone else may depend on how quickly he can get a face coach.

Key battles

A big question for United is whether both RVP and Rooney play. Van Persie's absence from the starting line up midweek would point to him starting, and with United having home advantage they will probably both play. Against Arsenal's vibrant midfield Moyes may be tempted to go with three in midfield but given Rooney's form he'll be a vital big game asset.

The pairing of Cleverly and Jones in centre midfield against Fulham, while both are shaky in possession, gives United much more mobility than with the leaden-footed Fellani, and gives Rooney the freedom to break forward more often. Carrick's fitness is a real concern as he is far and away the best passer; his pinpoint passing from deep will be key to getting the ball quickly to Rooney and the channels, instigating a bursting attack. Arsenal may get lots of possession high up the pitch so this will be a key route of attack for United.

One of the few plus points for United this season, along with Rooney's return to form, has been the improvement of Patrice Evra. His drive and overlapping runs have been a real outlet on the left. More often in recent seasons his surging bursts have led to a disappointing end product, but so far this season he has assisted 3 goals. In Sagna he has a worthy opponent, and with the likelihood it will be Kagawa on the left alongside Evra, who will be keen to drift inside, it is a battle Sagna should edge.

What the game will tell us about Manchester United.

As with all games against the big sides this early on in the season, they only really mean anything retrospectively.  However, if United lose they will be 11 points behind Arsenal. A Fergie-led United side would sneer at that feeble challenge, like a boxer allowing his opponent some free shots in the early rounds to gain confidence, and then pummelling them into submission later on. But this is a disjointed, confused Manchester United side. That swagger and confidence has now been called into question.

And make no mistake, the big battle for United this season will be to finish above Arsenal. With Man City looking like clear favourites, finishing above Arsenal will probably mean 2nd or 3rd and will be an on par performance for Moyes this season. It would be the acceptable ‘transition’ season to build from. So what would a victory against Arsenal on Sunday tell us about that possibility?  In the last season Arsenal finished above United, back in 2005, United won 2-0 at Old Trafford and romped to a 4-2 win at Highbury. Since 2005 United have won eight of their Premier League meetings to Arsenal’s four. In the last three seasons where Arsenal have won (twice in 2006-07, once in2008-09 and 2010-11), United have gone on to win the league. So if the recent stats tell us anything (and they don’t), a losing team will ultimately prosper.

Prediction

1-1

Arsenal have a deceptively poor recent record at Old Trafford. Their memorable title winning victories of 1998 and 2002 hide the fact that they have only three wins at Old Trafford in Premier League history, and they have never won by a scoreline greater than 1-0. The one time they scored more than once at Old Trafford in the Premier League they lost 8-2. In that sense Sunday could prove a substantial opportunity to put a marker down for Arsenal; that a new regime at Old Trafford serves as a precedent to disregard their poor Old Trafford form.

Arsenal will want to prove their title credentials but avoid defeat and United will want to keep their tame unbeaten run going. United will hopefully learn the lesson of their hammering at the hands of City and keep it much tighter between midfield and defence.


Check back again on Saturday if you would like to read the Gun Show's very own Arsenalcentric, van Persie-slating preview of the game...

Behind Enemy Lines: Arsenal - Liverpool Preview... From a Liverpool Perspective

Today we turn our attention to Saturday's top of the table clash with Liverpool and Nick Price has very kindly agreed to share his thoughts and predictions for the game with us.  He is a Liverpool fan who writes an excellent blog on The Premier League - highly recommended reading.  Also, be sure to give him a follow on twitter @pricenick.

Impressions of Arsenal
As always with Arsenal, they’re a terrific team to watch but there’s still doubts over whether or not they can sustain their run of form, especially when they hit a daunting set of fixtures. The Mesut Özil signature seems to have inspired confidence in the team and instilled pride and excitement through the stands, just what was needed after an otherwise embarrassing summer of inactivity despite having more cash to ignite than Monty Burns. He’s the best player to have been imported into the Premier League, and it’s testament to Arsène Wenger’s standing in the game and the way he sets his team out that he could convince him to come. 

But, and it’s a big but, his signing alone can’t cover the deficiencies in the squad. I’m a Mathieu Flamini fan but he’s not exactly a brilliant practitioner of what he does - he’s just a bloke who does his job well enough more times than not, which probably isn’t enough for a team competing for multiple trophies. Olivier Giroud is playing as beautifully as he looks, but when he gets injured or goes off the boil, who can come in and pick up the slack? Add to that, Wojciech Szczesny still looks as likely to pull out a stunning save as he does to have a complete brainfart, while the back four is merely alright. 

You’d expect Chelsea to step things up some more over the course of the season, and there’s clearly much more to come from the Manchester clubs, so Arsenal need to maintain their form and bank points now before the other big sides pick up the pace.

Thoughts on Brendan Rodgers
There are lots of parallels between Wenger and Rodgers, way back from them being no great shakes as professional players to the way they like to have their teams control games, and you can throw pretty much the same praise and criticism at both. 

They both embarrass themselves in press conferences, they both tend to make changes too late in the game when things aren’t going well, they both doggedly stick to their philosophies for better or worse, and they’re both offensively ugly; but, they both give youngsters a chance, they both want their players to keep the ball, and they both promote attractive football, which endears them to supporters. I like both, though many don’t. 

Rodgers is a good fit for and reflection of the status of the club at the moment. Liverpool can’t attract the very best players anymore and are having to reply on youngsters with big potential if they are to get back into the top four on a regular basis. I’d be as delighted as I would be surprised if Liverpool do qualify for the Champions League this season, but things are looking on the up and there’s a more discernible playing style and overall strategy under Rodgers than there ever was when Kenny Dalglish came back. 

Key battles
It’s all about the midfield. It’s not being too facetious to say Lucas Leiva, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson would struggle against Ozil and two tuckered out koalas, but Liverpool’s three in the middle are disjointed and, in spite of the possession stats, are not exactly imposing themselves on games this season. Lucas and Gerrard in particular seem to get absolutely knackered around the hour mark, leaving Henderson to run around like a wild dog chasing the ball for the last third. It’s as perplexing as it is worrying, and any team that presses against those three can control the middle.

Giroud versus the back three of Sakho, Skrtel and Toure will also be fascinating. I can see one or two of those getting dragged about by midfield runners, leaving space for Özil et al to slide in a sexy through ball.
On the more positive side, Sturridge and Suarez will force chances versus any defensive combination you can pick, provided they don't get wound up.

What the game will tell us about Liverpool
If Liverpool get a win, then it’s not unreasonable to presume they’re capable of being direct rivals for the top four with Arsenal, but nothing more than that. A point would be a good result and suggest top four is an achievable goal but by no means something that should be expected. 

I can’t see Liverpool getting turned over, but a close defeat wouldn’t be unexpected nor necessitate great introspection.

Prediction
I’ll go for a score draw or a narrow Arsenal win with plenty of chances for both sides.