Arsene Wenger Says It Is 'Dangerous' for Tottenham to Overvalue Win vs. Arsenal
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit out after his side's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby, warning his club's local rivals it would be "dangerous" for Spurs to read too much into their victory.
John Cross of the Mirror quotes the legendary coach reacting to the Gunners' slaying at the feet of Harry Kane, with the future England prospect once again shining in a big match:
"Yeah, of course, it is dangerous. But the fact is we lost a game and we cannot deny that. But overall there’s a long way to go, so I believe just keep going and recover, show quickly a strong response on Tuesday and then we see where we stand after that.
It’s not the first time we lose a game, but how we bounce back is to take the information from what we got at Tottenham and respond very quickly.
"
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Wenger also highlighted he expects Alexis Sanchez to return to the first team, per Cross, after his recent lay-off due to injury, with the Chile superstar missing the vital match at Spurs.
But despite the loss, Arsenal are still one of the form sides currently in the Premier League. They sit fourth in the current form guide, after four victories from their last six games.
The return of Sanchez will be a boost in the arm for Wenger, with the signing from Barcelona starring this term.
The attacker has been pivotal this season with his contribution to the Arsenal cause, settling into life in England with no problem at all.
The 26-year-old has 12 goals in his 21 EPL appearances during the campaign, per Squawka.com, and the Gunners certainly missed his dangerous presence at White Hart Lane.
But Wenger is wrong to play down the threat posed by Spurs after their defeat of his team.
On the day, Mauricio Pochettino's side were the much better unit, forcing Arsenal to drop ever further deeper, with the threat of Kane always present as the game progressed.
The Metro's Tottenham writer, Spooky, praised the Spurs coach for his tactics on the day, and gave credit to the team's new found work rate:
"It was utterly pulsating and a defining moment in Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure that saw his side execute a relentless pressing game. We [Tottenham] still need to improve in key areas but our mentality and our desire was wonderful to behold.
"
Arsenal have changed their own mentality in big away fixtures after their success at the Etihad in January, beating Manchester City 2-0.
The Gunners had consistently failed in the big away days in the Premier League, but it seemed that could be a thing of the past. Against City, they dropped deep and modified their classical passing style in order of something more disciplined.
But the tactic did not work against Tottenham, as the team in white dominated proceedings for most of the game.
Tottenham have had false dawns many times before, but Pochettino has his team playing a style of football most Arsenal fans will envy.
In Kane, they have the most electrifying striker in English football at present, and he is only going to improve.
However, with Mesut Ozil in goalscoring form on his return from injury, and Theo Walcott due for many more starts, Wenger will feel he can keep his nose ahead of Spurs, and comfortably make the top four above their bitter derby rival.
