Spurs vs Arsenal: 3 Keys to Victory for Both Sides at White Hart Lane

This weekend, we are treated to two of the best rivalries in Europe on Saturday and Sunday in the Merseyside and the North London derbies, respectively. The former tends to be more tense and physical while the latter can be fraught with mistakes and full of goals. Both have an unlimited supply of passion. 

Spurs come in having won three on the bounce in the Premier League after being embarrassed by both Manchester clubs. The signs are good for Redknapp's men and the addition of Scott Parker to the team sheet has given Spurs a base for a potentially potent attacking front four. 

After the collapse at Rovers, the Gunners look to have righted the ship and will eventually start getting all their players back to full fitness. After the unfortunate but inevitable departure of Fabregas and the last-gasp exit for Nasri, questions were raised about how well Arsenal would cope with the loss of two of their three best players alongside Van Persie.

We thought we had our answer in recent weeks, but the whole story is yet to unfold. 

Arsenal fans need not fret for the future as when you take a good look, there is an excellent spine of the team forming from goalkeeper up to Van Persie. Granted, once Wilshere returns of course. Until then, they have a wealth of young talent as always and it is up to Wenger to get the players ready for the trip up one stop on the Underground. 

Spurs have not finished above Arsenal in the table for 16 years and although Redknapp has restored some of the parity, he has yet to over take his North London counterpart for a place in that next tier. This could arguably be the season.

Going through the squads, the depth is there for the Spurs manager to pick up maximum points often once they rid themselves of that 'nuisance' Europa League.

Arsenal should deploy their modified 4-3-3 system and Redknapp should go with the 4-2-3-1 formation that he set out against Wigan. When these tactical systems square off, the battle in midfield can win you the plaudits or leave you with the scrutiny when the final whistle blows.

Let's look at how this match might unfold for both sides and point out the players and strategies to watch out for while we all sit back and soak up the atmosphere emanating from North London.

First, we will take a look at the keys to victory for the home side.

Scott Parker

Obviously, this isn't necessarily a key to victory, but Parker will be the key player when the curtains rise on another installment in this boisterous rivalry. It is a small wonder how barely a team made a move for the FWA player of the season. No matter how old you are, your ability can't drop off that significantly just one season removed from those accolades. 

In his short time under Harry Redknapp, he has excelled all across the pitch. He is a great all-around midfielder who breaks up play and regains possession as well as he dictates the forward play.

Paired with Sandro as a holding midfielder against Wigan, it is likely that he will get the best of a young player like Frimpong and Ramsey. 

Redknapp is developing Sandro into a good holding midfielder and this is to Spurs' advantage as it will allow Parker to join the front four going forward. His ability to switch the point of attack will cause the still-gelling Arsenal defense many problems. 

As in most matches, the competition for midfield dominance should dictate the end result and Parker should be the deciding factor. 

Balls into the Box

Spurs should take a page out of the Blackburn playbook and bully the ball into the back of the net as much as possible. Arsenal's defensive vulnerabilities lie in the flighted ball into the area.

Redknapp will no doubt instruct his players to induce some free kicks anywhere within 40 yards of goal.

Song and Mertesaker looked like a decent pairing in mid-week but their lack of time on the pitch together will surely be a concern for the French manager. Bale is the natural source from open play and will try and get to the byline as much as possible. Since Bale's emergence as a top-class player, he has yet to really get the best of Sagna who will no doubt be shadowing him while he is in advanced positions.

Van der Vaart will be out on the right-hand side instead of behind the striker which is a more natural position for the Dutchman. His intuitive tendency to cut inside from the wing should open up the space for Kyle Walker to move into. If he can exploit it, the attack-minded right-back can be the originator of crosses from the right-hand side. 

Look for Spurs to test the cohesiveness of the Arsenal back four early on and, if successful, it could be a busy day of shot-stopping for Szczesny. 

Stopping Van Persie

The Arsenal captain is also their best player and one of the most potent strikers across Europe on his day. Its not always about attack and though most of the focus for Spurs fans will be on scoring goals, preventing the experienced front man will be equally as important. 

Sandro, more than Parker, will be asked to provide the protection against the back four. Minding the movement of Van Persie will be part of his task. King and Kaboul will be keeping an eye over their shoulder as well for RVP loves to play off the back line with diagonal runs where he can take a floated ball down and wreak havoc. 

Shadowing Van Persie closely will help to push him out to the wings in search of possession where he is less dangerous and less influential than when he is holding up play and inviting runs in and around him.

The two Tottenham centre-backs should also be careful not to provide the striker with any dead-ball situations with needless fouls around the area. That left foot is one of the best around the continent. 

See these tasks through and bragging rights will remain at White Hart Lane until they meet again at the Emirates. 

Now let's look at where Arsenal can increase their chances of grabbing all three points. 

The Midfield Three

Though he can't even get a sniff of the Spanish national team, Arteta has always been a world-class player in my opinion. His complement of skills are a great addition to any team. Especially a team trying to compensate for the loss of two other world-class players in Fabregas and Nasri. 

When he has played a part so far, you can foresee Arteta being the engine of the Arsenal side going forward. His coolness on the ball and range of passing will help the Gunners move swiftly from defense to attack.

With Arteta dictating the play for Wenger's men, it will be up to Ramsey to join the front three and cause the Spurs' back line a problem with numbers. Ramsey is a special talent and will have to be influential and on the spot to put on goal any of the cutback crosses that are routinely a part of the Gunners' best offensive moves. Shame his progress was impeded by that horrid leg break.

Beyond that, Frimpong, Arteta and Ramsey will be in and around Parker, Sandro and Modric for much of the game and will have to demonstrate their quality in the face of tough opposition in the middle. It only remains to be seen who will come out on top. 

Service to RVP

When Arsenal lose the battle for possession and their one-touch football isn't flowing, Robin Van Persie becomes an isolated and forlorn figure leading the line. When Arsenal are on the defensive, he has to drop deeper and deeper to have any influence on the match. The Gunners cannot let this happen if they have any intention of walking away with any points from the derby.

Arteta will be crucial in linking up the play but it will be the wingmen of the front three who need to drag defenders away from the middle and provide RVP the area to work with in front of Friedel. 

Gervinho is a still a game-day decision, but let us assume that he will play. Walcott was also in danger of missing the rival confrontation. If Walcott does get the start, he will have to be mindful of the young Chamberlain biting at his heels for a starting place.

Theo's end product from all those dazzling runs has been a point of criticism for the last couple seasons after he showed signs of promise. Chamberlain appears to be in a similar mold to Walcott, but is much more direct and has demonstrated already that he has the ability to contribute by setting up his teammates. Expect him to be on the pitch at some point. 

After serving his suspension, Gervinho has had a point to prove and will be looking to make a big impact in North London come Sunday. His ability to beat players is an asset to Wenger but he will want to see more vision from the Ivorian as he has been caught narrow-sighted when his teammates were in better positions so far this season. 

There are always goals in this match so look for both sides to score. Whether or not the Arsenal Captain is provided with the service to do so is something to watch. 

Containing Adebayor and Modric

We can all remember the stadium-wide celebration by the Ivorian at the Etihad stadium a few years ago. Running all the way across the pitch to incite the Arsenal fans after scoring for his current parent club Manchester City. Gunners supporters will be wary of the same type of reaction should Adebayor score on his derby debut for their bitter rivals.

Though he has apologized.

The task will fall on Mertesacker and Song to not only disrupt the play of Adebayor, but contain the excellent Modric in behind him. From this position, Modric has the chance to play higher up the pitch than usual and is even more freed from defensive responsibilities than he already was alongside Huddlestone. 

The link-up between Modric and Van der Vaart on the right-hand side pulls defenders towards them and allows Adebayor to slip to the back post and cause problems in the air which he has done to good effect so far. In addition to this option, Adebayor's hold-up play will allow Modric to run in and around him. All the while, the option to lay it off for the Croatian to strike it will be a worry in the mind of the Polish goalkeeper Szczesny. 

Sagna and Gibbs will be called in to assist on occasion, so Arsenal will have to be wary of Spurs exploiting that space once it becomes available. A strong back four performance is vital for the Gunners as they look to silence the critics and get on with the business of picking up three points. 

Final Verdict

Arsenal have only won two away matches in their last 16 Premier League matches and their recent record against Spurs is not encouraging. After the initial embarrassment of the thrashing by City, Tottenham have won three on the trot and any suggestions that this season would be a struggle are long gone. Redknapp went even as far as to say his side could finish second when questioned in the build-up to the Sunday fixture. 

I think Szczesny will be a busy man on matchday. Whether or not he can keep up his exponential growth as the man between the posts is up for debate. If Arsenal do nick this one, he could be your man of the match. 

Given that this contest is at White Hart Lane, the advantage in this contentious affair will go to 'old Arry's men.

But since the advent of the Premier League, draws have been the order of the day. Wenger should be pleased with that result given the context and I will wager on an end-to-end encounter resulting in a 2-2 draw.