Tactical Analysis: North London Derby

In the 2015/16 season, Arsenal and their North London rivals were competing at the upper echelon of English football, the Gunners finishing second in the league behind Leicester City whilst Tottenham placed third in the table. Five years on with three games left to play, they came into this game directly competing with Burnley for the final Europa League spot.

Both clubs had festered in mid-table positions throughout the year, with two major managerial changes coming midway through the season. Arsenal would part ways with Unai Emery and embark on a new journey with former club captain Mikel Arteta leading the ship, whilst Tottenham reached the end of their project with Mauricio Pochettino and appointed three-time Premier League champion José Mourinho. 

With both managers preparing for their first ever North London Derby, the Portuguese manager quipped, “To be the champion of north London means nothing for me because I think you have to be much bigger than that and have much more ambitions than that."