The north London derby can never be called a dry run for another game, but Arsenal’s win at Tottenham handed Mikel Arteta the perfect blueprint for their trip to Manchester City.
Arsenal were without seven first-team players, including Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard, but battled to a priceless 1-0 victory against Spurs.
It was an Arsenal performance out of kilter with their usually attractive style of play and afterwards Arteta made a point of praising his team for doing the “ugly things” well.
The Gunners had just 36.3 per cent possession and their winner came from a set-piece, with Gabriel capitalising on some poor marking to head home Bukayo Saka’s corner.
“We had moments in the game, some really good ones and some others that we had to suffer,” said Arteta. “The people we have are harder, they have thick skin, they love the game and they love winning.
“In order to love the game and win, you have to do a lot of things - sometimes people call them ugly. Enjoying doing those ugly things is a big compliment of this team right now. And when you’re able to, normally you get a good gift.”
The reward for Arsenal was a result that means they are second in the Premier League table and two points off City ahead of their showdown at the Etihad Stadium.
Sunday will be the second away game Arsenal have this week, with the Gunners kicking off their Champions League campaign at Atalanta on Thursday. Arteta admitted to having sleepless nights ahead of the Spurs win, because of the selection issues he faced.
Rice will at least return from suspension this week, but Mikel Merino (shoulder), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) are still out.
It remains to be see if Odegaard (ankle), Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori (both calf) can return, although Saka is expected to be fit after limping off with cramp at Spurs.
The absence of Odegaard against City would be a real blow and the Spurs win underlined how much Arsenal miss him. The Norwegian sets the tempo for how the team play and without him they lacked control.
That forced Arteta into a rethink and the Spurs win was all about defensive solidity and playing on the counter-attack, which will serve the Gunners well at the Etihad.
Arsenal played in a traditional 4-4-2 formation without the ball, with both Jorginho and Thomas Partey offering protection in front of the defence. It meant left-back Jurrien Timber tucked into midfield far less than he usually does and instead the onus was on the defence acting as a solid unit.
The plan worked exceptionally well and Tottenham created very little, even when they went all out for an equaliser late on. Arsenal executed a similar plan at the Etihad last season and finished that game with just 27 per cent possession.
The Gunners have the ability to keep any team out, as shown by their remarkable away record in the Premier League in 2024. Since the turn of the year, they have won 10 of their 11 away games in the league - with the solitary draw coming at the Etihad.
They have kept nine clean sheets during that run and conceded just three goals. Most impressively of all, they have not been behind in any of those games for a single minute.
The challenge for Arteta is to add a ruthless edge on the counter to go with Arsenal’s defensive steel
The challenge for Arteta is to add a ruthless edge on the counter to go with Arsenal’s defensive steel. When in possession against Spurs, the formation essentially became 4-2-4 as Saka and Gabriel Martinelli rushed to support Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard.
There were moments where it clicked, with Martinelli spurning a good chance in the first half after Trossard played him in, and Havertz’s tireless efforts to be a focal point deserve a mention.
Arteta, however, will be wanting more from his attack and it is why, perhaps, Raheem Sterling will fancy his chances of breaking into the team this week.
The winger was a ruthless finisher under Arteta at City and that is what Arsenal need on the break. Now would be the perfect time for Sterling to rekindle his best form.
