Here’s Tottenham’s three major weaknesses ahead of the North London Derby against Arsenal
No Premier League fixture draws more attention than the North London Derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. With both clubs sitting inside the top five, Sunday’s clash promises to be a fierce battle. Ahead of the matchup, these three Tottenham players—who Thomas Frank continues to rely on—could play influential roles but also pose significant risks to Spurs’ hopes of earning a result.
ST – Richarlison
Richarlison’s recent form has been disastrous, despite scoring against Manchester United before the international break. Any Spurs supporter who watched that match knows how poor his overall performance was. Even though he hasn’t earned a starting spot on merit, Frank keeps giving him minutes, even with Mathys Tel and the recovering Randal Kolo Muani offering stronger options against a top-level Arsenal back line.
CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur is another established name who continues to start more due to reputation and experience than current performances. While he hasn’t been as ineffective as Richarlison, his good outings have been outweighed by the poor ones. Tottenham also have younger midfielders who could provide more against Arsenal. Pape Matar Sarr is back in training and has been the far superior option this season, while Bentancur risks being completely overwhelmed by Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice.
LW – Wilson Odobert
Wilson Odobert may be Tottenham’s best available choice on the left wing and did make an impact against Manchester United, but he remains raw and inexperienced for a matchup of this magnitude. Arsenal’s physical and disciplined defense is likely to make life difficult for him, and he could easily drift out of the game. Though Odobert has the potential to become a top player for Spurs, his current importance only highlights how the club failed to properly strengthen the left flank during the summer.
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