Arsenal and Tottenham's Rivalry Parallel for Now After North London Derby Draw

Now relax.

After the best part of 100 often relentless minutes, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur could not be separated. A Kevin Wimmer own goal and a Harry Kane penalty ensured a 1-1 draw that, while not leaving either side delighted, is a decent point all things considered.

These two were not just playing this match today. For any regular north London derby, the week begins the moment Arsenal and Tottenham's preceding Premier League fixture ends.

Starting from that point, we take in those preparations—which this time were complicated by Champions League obligations—and, via the main talking points and social media build-up, examine how they shaped a pulsating clash that has left this rivalry for prominence still finely poised.

Those seven days began in contrasting fashion and would follow suit in their European performances and the pre-derby narrative.

Arsenal's 4-1 win over Sunderland was the ideal correction to their disappointment against another north-east club. After a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, they were back on track in the Premier League, boosted too by the scoring return of striker Olivier Giroud, who netted twice.

A wonderful team goal leading to one of the brace also scored by Alexis Sanchez typified the confidence surging through Arsene Wenger's men. Any team would struggle to contain them.

Shortly after that lunchtime Saturday kick-off, champions Leicester City could not stop Tottenham getting on the ball but did stop them from doing much with it.

The Lilywhites' own centre-forward Vincent Janssen—still covering for the injured Kane—grabbed his first league goal for his new club from the penalty spot. But after Ahmed Musa equalised in the second-half, Spurs could not again find a way through Leicester's stout defence, continuing their final-third malaise.

It meant Mauricio Pochettino's side drawing a third match in a row since an impressive win over fellow title hopefuls Manchester City at the start of October. Their hopes to build on that result ahead of the trip to Arsenal and a month of London derbies had not gone to plan.

Television demands meant the rescheduling of the first derby of the season had been moved from 5th November to 6th. Headline writers were to be denied opportunities to talk about fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night, and the calendar had also robbed them of potential Halloween horror-show stories and all sorts of ghoulish and monster metaphors.

Regardless, both Arsenal and Tottenham proceeded at their own risk in celebrating the latter occasion.

Shkodran Mustafi's pranking of team-mates for Arsenal's YouTube output was relatively harmless. Tottenham's Janssen, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Kyle Walker subjecting themselves to a zombie-related game was not ideal, more than anything bringing to mind the prospect of a potential mauling from the Gunners' hungry stars the following Sunday.

The walking dead, indeed.

Not involved was the man many were already viewing as their best chance of surviving against such an onslaught.

Pochettino confirmed Kane was in contention for the battle with their capital foes, per Spurs' official Twitter page. The sight of the 23-year-old in training was a pleasing one for the club's supporters and would take on even greater importance for them and the team after events at Wembley in the week.

Arsenal's 3-2 comeback win away at Ludogorets was marked by one of the best goals of the season so far.

Mesut Ozil's exquisite skill lifting the ball over the Bulgarians' goalkeeper Milan Borjan before weaving a successful path through to goal was all the more remarkable for its importance. The late strike completed his side's rectifying an earlier two-nil deficit and sealed qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League in the process.

It drew gasps of appreciation from all who saw it, and the glowing post-match appraisals felt almost more fitting of a masterpiece work of cinema or classical music—see Bleacher Report's James McNicholas (above) describing it "both devastating and beautiful."

The contrast with anything seen from Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen a night later was marked.

In fairness, there were glimpses of the attacking quality that has taken them to this level, too. Dele Alli (later to be confirmed injured for the Arsenal match) in particular creatively looked to find ways through the tight paths left between the visitors' defenders.

Ultimately, none had the composure or conviction to ultimately trouble Leverkusen. Unable to hurt the Bundesliga side, their already pressured defence succumbed to a second-half Kevin Kampl strike.

The only use for "devastating" around this performance was describing how it left Pochettino, the Spurs boss looking despondent as he contemplated an early Champions League exit and just how to prepare his side for in-form Arsenal.

"Of course we need to improve," the glum Argentinian said afterwards. "We don't have too much time to improve that, but we need to lift the players because the players are very disappointed now in the changing room."

If Pochettino felt pessimistic, the outsiders' outlook for his side was close to doom-mongering.

Bleacher Report's Stat Stories (see above) asked if Arsenal had "the points in the bag?" The Observer's David Hytner went as far to say "it is no great stretch to portray Tottenham as being in turmoil."

As it was, Pochettino had perked up by the time of pre-match press conference. His thoughtful response to questions about Spurs' struggles in front of goal suggested the Argentinian and his coaching staff were hard at work in considering how they could improve for the weekend.

He said:

"

Always is about balance and to try to change something and to find the better way to play now, and we have some problems about creating chances or to be clinical in front of goal, to show more consistency or try.

Maybe the problem is not in front, is because maybe we are not building in a very good way from back and the ball arrives in the last third in a different condition. That is a very complex job for us to analyse why.

"

Pochettino had also offered a more typically general comment about Spurs' situation in his answer. But as we were to find out, his players were in line with this when they needed to be.

"To be calm and to show a good balance when you are taking positive results and when you don’t take the result that you expect is always important."

Tottenham needed to be calm in the face of a late-first-half onslaught from Arsenal that resulted in a Wimmer own goal. Commendably they were, earning a point after the interval after Kane scored a penalty in his first game since September.

Another draw, another penalty goal. If you did not see the game, you would not assume any improvement had been made.

It is true there were no dramatic differences in the Spurs performance seen here. Yet in keeping competitive with Arsenal—in the game and in the season itself—they showed welcome spirit after Wednesday's disappointment and opened up possibilities for how they may progress from here.

The result of Pochettino's aforementioned analysis was a switch to a 3-5-2/5-3-2 formation (depending on just how you viewed the functions of wide-men Danny Rose and Walker). The manager talked about the season's earlier use of a 4-1-4-1 being "plan B," so this must be "C."

Wimmer made his first Premier League appearance of the season in between Jan Vertonghen and Eric Dier. With Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama taking turns patrolling in front of them, it allowed Rose and Walker to get forward even sooner than in a flat back four.

The threat of them stretching play allowed more room for playmaker Christian Eriksen than in recent weeks. Dembele benefited too with room for the run that led to Laurent Koscielny conceding the costly penalty.

Up front, Heung-Min Son enjoyed the benefits of having Kane taking defenders away through actions or just his presence. It was not the South Korean at his most dangerous but, in some combinations with Rose and tricky runs, was closer to his great September form than seen of late.

Arsenal stopped and effectively countered the away side at various points throughout the game. They demanded some fine last-ditch defending from Spurs' back three and might have put the game beyond doubt had Alex Iwobi scored from close-range or a superb Theo Walcott strike crept inside the post rather than hit it straight.

Spurs had their moments too, though, and it was not all about Kane (as seen in the above video). In the final 10 minutes they looked just as likely to score, if not more so. An Eriksen free-kick that hit the post almost fell for Janssen while the substitute striker misjudged a decent volleying opportunity.

Not a horror show then, and the big fireworks (you know, rockets and all them loud ones) never made their way out.

After a week in which their paths threatened to diverge, Tottenham will take remaining relatively parallel with their north London neighbours in the Premier League title race. Arsenal look the better team right now, but Pochettino and his players are not without promise.

They remain unbeaten—albeit with more draws than wins—and with Kane fit again have an inspirational performer who may lift their manager's ideas back to their previously productive level. Pochettino was certainly happier speaking to Tottenham's media output (below).

The last international break came at the wrong time, scuppering the momentum they had done so well establishing up to and including the win over Manchester City. Tough games against West Ham United and Chelsea follow this one, but boosted by a hard-earned point against their chief enemies, they have a foothold in the season once again.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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