Arsenal analysis: Unai Emery suffers big setback with system failure vs Tottenham

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James Olley19 December 2018

Tottenham gained revenge over north London rivals Arsenal as goals by Heung-min Son and Dele Alli earned a 2-0 victory to put them into the EFL Cup semi-finals.

Seventeen days after losing 4-2 in a pulsating Premier League clash, in-form Tottenham returned to the Emirates to gain their first away victory over Arsenal in eight years.

Son opened the scoring against the run of play with a stylish 24th-minute effort and Alli's superb second on the hour proved enough for Tottenham to progress to the last four.

Arsenal were left to rue several wasted opportunities with Henrikh Mkhitaryan guilty in the first half, while the hosts also struck the woodwork on a couple of occasions.

James Olley assesses the key talking points for Arsenal...

Emery suffers significant setback

Action Images via Reuters

The EFL Cup was not high on the list of priorities for either side this season but Unai Emery picked a relatively strong team and talked up beforehand the benefits of reaching a cup semi-final.

In that context, a 2-0 defeat here is a blow to Emery, not least because of the identity of the opponents but also because it well and truly checks the momentum built up during their unbeaten run.

That ended at Southampton last weekend amid defensive concerns that were replicated here. The games come thick and fast, though, so Emery needs to find a solution quickly.

Centre-back struggles continue

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Sokratis Papastathopoulos’s return from suspension was particularly welcome given the defensive injuries Emery has to contend with but it was a surprise he opted to partner the Greek centre-back with midfielder Granit Xhaka in a back four.

Nacho Monreal was deployed at left-back but Laurent Koscielny had to be called upon at half-time as Arsenal switched to three at the back in an effort to overturn the deficit created by Heung-min Son’s 20th-minute opener.

However, Xhaka’s hesitation in going to challenge substitute Harry kane meant the England captain could bring the ball down and release Dele Alli, who burst clear and lifted the ball over Petr Cech.

Emery’s system failure

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The fall-out from Sunday’s defeat at Southampton included a discussion as to whether Emery would persist with three-at-the-back despite dwindling defensive numbers.

He opted for a back four here only to switch to 3-4-2-1 at half-time but where a tactical change at the interval helped Arsenal beat Spurs in the Premier League game earlier this month, the Gunners struggled to find the same second-half improvement in attack.

Emery has tweaked his formation regularly this season as he actively encourages such versatility.

Crowd incident mars another derby

Action Images via Reuters

Dele Alli appeared to be hit by a plastic bottle thrown from the crowd during the second half.

The England midfielder responded by signalling “2-0” in the direction it came from before a steward clambered over the advertising hoardings to retrieve the object.

Action Images via Reuters

An investigation is likely to be launched and after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was racially abused by a Spurs fan throwing a banana skin on the pitch in the League game, it is a shame this game was also marred by another off-field incident.

Two Arsenal fans were charged for throwing objects in the last derby and a similar punishment is surely likely again.

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