In Wednesday's tantalizing North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates, Arsenal, the only team with an undefeated Premier League home record thus far this season, will try to make amends for their recent knockout losses.
Ange Postecoglou's team put three goals past Tamworth without a response, but only after being forced to play an extra half hour. The Gunners' FA Cup run ended at the weekend at the hands of holders Manchester United.
The bookmakers still believe Arsenal will win the forthcoming North London Derby, despite their dismal recent cup performance. There are places where they are as short as 4/11, while odds comparison websites now have a best price of 4/9.
The rebellious Arteta has publicly called for his current crop of players to self-rescue as they strive not to register three successive losses for the first time since the beginning of January 2024; a defeat in the derby could see the Arsenal languish nine points behind Liverpool with a game in hand depending on the performance of the Reds at Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners may now be without clean sheet in their last four matches in all competitions but none of their last four League games at their own backyard has seen Arsenal concede and they won’t mind asking Tamworth on how to shut Spurs out for full 90 minutes.
Any Tottenham supporter who watched the match on Sunday evening would certainly have wish they had not- such was their tame performance against National League footballers the least enjoyable, until their Premier League standards kicked in during extra time at the Lam Ground.
Tamworth easily could have gorged themselves on this cup Homework debuts more than they actually deserve against Postecoglou’s team though they were not denied the attempts to produce one of the biggest cup upsets of all time but Nathan Tshikuna, Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson threesome saved Tottenham an unimaginable blush.
In a contrast to Jekyll and Hyde, Spurs could not unlock Tamworth in 90 minutes after conquering Premier League leaders Liverpool in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, while Postecoglou’s men are now seeking three consecutive wins for the first time since early October.
Despite their impressive 42-goal total, the visitors to the Emirates have only managed to earn one point out of the last 12 points available in the top division and are still in the bottom half of the Premier League rankings, mathematically closer to the relegation zone than the top seven.
Even with their present attacking form, the Lilywhites were stifled in their 1-0 home loss to their fierce rivals in September, and they come to the Emirates having lost to Arsenal in a whopping 25 straight Premier League away games. This gives the home supporters hope for derby madness.
Jesus suffered yet another injury to his knee during the loss to Man United, just when he was beginning to regain his footing in North London. There are concerns that the South American may have torn his ACL.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Arteta bench just under half of his squad for Wednesday's crucial match after 120 exhausting and unsuccessful attempts on Sunday, though he might be forced to continue using the increasingly inefficient Havertz up front.
Like their hosts, the Lilywhites should expect a few changes as Son Heung-min, Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, and Lucas Bergvall, the winner of the EFL Cup, return to the field.
If Arsenal's previous two home horror performances are any indication, the walls of the Emirates have collapsed. Mikel Arteta's team has already given up on winning the FA Cup and will undoubtedly do the same in the EFL Cup following two dreadfully ineffective attacking performances.
Arsenal was left to regret yet another lackluster showing in front of goal against 10-man Man United, who defied the odds to continue their FA Cup title defense, five days after their heartbreaking home loss to Newcastle United in the latter competition, where they were brutally taught to be ruthless in their attacking.
