Arsenal vs. Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino Deserves Credit for Emirates Draw

EMIRATES STADIUM, NORTH LONDON — Mauricio Pochettino was on the verge of being sent to the stands after an hour of Tottenham Hotspur's 1-1 draw with Arsenal; Spurs' manager having moved out of his technical area one too many times. 

With his side having snatched the lead in what was arguably the biggest game of his coaching career so far, the referee instead urged caution and the Argentinian sheepishly withdrew from the touchline. 

It didn't last long though, Pochettino was back to his feet almost immediately and, as he had throughout the match, he returned to the edge of his technical area. 

For virtually the entire 90 minutes, Pochettino was up and following the action. At times it was like a training session as Spurs' manager instructed his players mere feet from the action. 

It would have been a great shame if Pochettino had been sent off because, even though Spurs didn't win, Pochettino earned a personal victory having made bold changes to both lineup and set-up to get it.  

In three previous league games, Spurs had looked both toothless in possession and thoughtless in defence. At the Emirates, Pochettino played his hand expertly and Spurs came so close to reaping the full rewards. 

The inclusion of Ryan Mason, fresh from his goalscoring cameo against Nottingham Forest in midweek appeared reckless, perhaps a change for change's sake, but it was a master-stroke.

Mason's heatmap from the first half showed that he split his time more or less evenly between defence, midfield and attack.

Spurs have been crying out for a player to knit together defence and attack. Mousa Dembele and Paulinho had both been tried out but Mason did enough in his Premier League debut to suggest that Pochettino has found his man.

Mason was at turns Etienne Capoue's holding partner and Christian Eriksen's assistant further upfield.

The inexperienced midfielder earned a yellow card after a thunderous tackle on Mesut Ozil in the second half as the match threatened to spiral out of control. Injudicious, perhaps, but it stopped an Arsenal breakaway dead.

He looked remarkably comfortable in the fractious air of north London's derby. Pochettino agreed, saying "we decided to play Mason because we knew he was ready."

Kyle Naughton also replaced Eric Dier at right-back in a slightly surprising move. Dier is evidently the superior footballer but Naughton is both far more experienced and a natural full-back. He usually gets himself in trouble when he tries to play above his skill level. Against Arsenal, he was reserved and highly effective. Arsenal found little joy down Spurs' right flank.

Equally as crucial as the inclusion of Mason, though less bold, was the return of Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian defender had missed Spurs' last two matches but made an impressive return in the derby.

His defensive partner, Younes Kaboul, looked back to something approaching his best form. Perhaps it was the return of the organisationally-minded Vertonghen but Kaboul was more judicious in his challenges and more assured in his use of the ball. Once, in the first half, he got a little over-eager and lost possession in midfield but, fortunately for Spurs, nothing came of it.

Vertonghen was instrumental in the adoption of Pochettino's very specific game plan. When asked about how Spurs set up after the match, he was concise, saying "we were compact and we went forward quickly to try to surprise Arsenal."

Aware that Tottenham likely couldn't compete with Arsenal's ability to hold possession, he set Spurs up to exploit it.

Mason and Eriksen both pulled very deep whenever Spurs lost the ball. Arsenal were able to push up but, with Etienne Capoue completing the midfield trio, Spurs were able to defend smartly and frustrate the Gunners approach.

Every time they won the ball back, Tottenham's midfielders looked to the wings. Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli and even Emmanuel Adebayor provided willing runners as Spurs countered again and again.

With more clinical finishing, Spurs could easily have taken the lead before half-time.

After a nervous opening to the second period, the match returned to type and, after an hour, Tottenham had their lead.

Eriksen won the ball 30 yards from goal in a tussle with Flamini before squeezing his pass to Erik Lamela. The Argentinian hesitated for a moment before slipping the pass inside to Nacer Chadli, hovering menacingly on the right flank. Chadli took the ball, controlled it and placed a purposeful shot beneath the sprawling Wojciech Szczesny.

Pochettino's bold moves had given Spurs an advantage over their rivals, but they were unable to hold on as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain eventually equalised after an extended period of Arsenal pressure.

A draw was a fair result. Both sides could have won the match but, in truth, neither really deserved it. 

Neither set of players was brilliant but Spurs emerge with far more credibility than they began the day.

Mauricio Pochettino deserves the credit for Tottenham's impressive performance and for the well-earned point against their bitter rivals. The omission of Roberto Soldado was his single major error. The Spaniard thrived in counter-attacking Valencia teams but perhaps Pochettino was planning to introduce him as the final substitution before Danny Rose's injury.

Spurs were dreadful against the top sides last season. After the match, Pochettino referenced that record but pointed out that "today we competed with a big team." Spurs may now have found a way to play against the big boys.