Arsenal vs Tottenham: 3 mistakes Mikel Arteta made in the North London derby
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Mikel Arteta's mistakes against Tottenham || Credit: Imago

Arsenal vs Tottenham: 3 mistakes Mikel Arteta made in the North London derby

Stephen Oladehinde 10:19 - 25.09.2023

Arsenal failed to get maximum points against their London rivals Tottenham at the Emirate Stadium on Sunday afternoon and only settled for a draw.

The Gunners were pegged back twice by the visitors and did not control the game with the game ending in a 2-2 draw.

Arsenal star boy Bukayo Saka opened the scoring in the first half via a deflection from Tottenham defender Romero but Spurs fought back to get the equaliser through Son Heung-min before the break

Saka later gave the home team the lead from the penalty spot in the second half but the lead was cut short immediately, after a silly error by Jorginho gifted Son the equaliser.

A lot of talking points were pointed out during the game and we take a look at the mistakes made by Mikel Arteta that cost Arsenal all three points.

Mikel Arteta against Tottenham || Credit: Imago
Mikel Arteta against Tottenham || Credit: Imago

1. Replacing Fabio Viera with Havertz 

Mikel Arteta made two substitutions at halftime, with Jorginho coming in for the injured Declan Rice and Kai Havertz replacing Fabio Vieira. 

One of the wrong decisions made by Arteta at halftime was replacing Fabio Vieira with Kai Havertz in a game that needed more control.

It was unexpected since Vieira played well in the first half, which led to Arsenal dominating for 35 minutes.

Jorginho who does not have the pace to match the Tottenham midfielders was paired with Kai Havertz who also lacks pace and is sluggish on the ball.

Both substitutions were not compatible which led to Arsenal having less control in the game and conceding an immediate equaliser after taking the lead.

Arteta’s decision to bring Kai Havertz on at the break was a wrong call, especially when you have other alternatives.

Mikel Arteta and Kai Havertz || Credit: Imago
Mikel Arteta and Kai Havertz || Credit: Imago

2. Leaving Eddie Nketiah on and substituting Jesus

Another wrong call made by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was leaving Eddie Nketiah on the pitch and substituting Gabriel Jesus.

Eddie Nketiah was hardly involved in most of Arsenal’s build-up play and did not contribute to the Gunners' attack.

Jesus, who was used on the left wing, was more involved in the game than Nketiah with the few times he made a switch to the main striker role.

The England international was lost in the game and Arteta still kept him on and allowed him to play a full 90 minutes.

Substituting Jesus for Nelson instead of Nketiah for Nelson was a wrong decision by Arteta because the Brazilian would have given the Gunners more edge and presence in and outside the Tottenham box.

Gabriel Jesus against Tottenham || Credit: Imago
Gabriel Jesus against Tottenham || Credit: Imago

3. Letting Tottenham midfielders control the game

Tottenham had more possession of the ball and looked more dangerous going forward during the game against Arsenal.

Arteta failed to create a tactic that would stop the Spurs players from imposing their passing abilities and forward runs, especially in the second half.

Tottenham’s control in the middle of the park led to the Gunners making silly mistakes and giving away the ball.

Arsenal had less of the ball in the second half and did not create many chances which later came back to hunt them.

Arteta’s tactical switch in the second half did not work for the team and it cost them all three points against their bitter rivals.