Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Three takeaways

Full time: The North London Derby ends in a draw! That was relatively exciting. Here are some takeaways from the game:

• Nicolas Pepe caused Spurs a lot of problems, so Bayern should be looking to make sure Gnabry and Coman are in top form heading into the game. Again, wing-play will be key to beating Spurs.
• Spurs were far from impressive and were under pressure for most of the second half. If not for Hugo Loris, they certainly would have lost the game.
• I take back what I said about needing Javi Martinez. Bayern’s standard 4-2-3-1 with Thiago and Goretzka in the pivot should be enough to keep Spurs at bay, provided they don’t make any boneheaded mistakes a la Xhaka.

Halftime: Arsenal scored just before HT to make it 2-1. To be honest, they’ve been the better team, and should at least be level. Here are some observations on Spurs so far:

• Tottenham seem defensively frail on the wings. A combo of Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba should be able to unlock them when we meet.
• Javi Martinez could be an option to stop Spurs’ counterattacks. Spurs have been absolutely lethal on the counter, and everyone knows how weak Bayern are to counters in general.
• Harry Kane just cannot be given any space. The man can turn and shoot in an instant — he’s well beyond the level of any Bundesliga striker except Robert Lewandowski.
• High crosses and corners seem to cause Spurs a lot of trouble. Niko Kovac should take note and instruct Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry to take the aerial route.

Update: Just a quick update before HT, remember when Granit Xhaka used to be good?

As you might know, Bayern Munich drew Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League last week. The two are set to meet soon after the international break, and watching Spurs and Arsenal go at each other in the North London Derby should give us a decent idea of where Spurs stand and what vulnerabilities Niko Kovac might (try to) exploit in the UCL.

We should also get to see a full(ish) strength Spurs lineup deal with a team us Bayern fans are intimately familiar with. When Bayern faced Spurs in preseason, the lineups put out by Mauricio Pochettino weren’t exactly his best XI’s. Therefore, what can Spurs do with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Son Heung-Min all playing together? It would be interesting to find out.

Feel free to talk about the game below!

If you’re an Arsenal fan who stumbled across this live thread by accident, check out The Short Fuse for exclusively Arsenal-related content.

If you’re a Spurs fan who did the same, head on over to Cartilage Free Captain.

Match Info

Location: Emirates, London, England

Time: 4:30 pm local time, 11:30 am EST

TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country

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