Arsenal visit Old Trafford on Saturday with a dreadful recent record there but the opposite was true in the early 1980s, so when Ron Atkinson’s United beat them 4-0 to go top in March 1984 it seemed the long title wait was about to endOn Saturday Arsenal travel to Old Trafford looking for their first league win at Manchester United’s home in a decade. In recent years, even as all else crumbled around the ears of whoever United had in charge, one constant comfort blanket they have clung to is the visit of the Gunners.In the early 1980s, though, roles were reversed. Those years represented a fairly grim time for Arsenal: they didn’t win a major trophy between 1979-1987, although...
False No9s are in; free roles, with the exception of Mesut Özil, are out; back threes are making a comeback; and pressing is en vogueA few years ago possession was the most discussed concept in football. Since then there has been a shift from a possession-based approach and more attention paid to pressing. Mauricio Pochettino’s Southampton and Tottenham sides pressed in advanced positions to win the ball quickly, Klopp popularised counter-pressing, winning the ball immediately after it has been lost, and Guardiola also emphasises the importance of closing down in advanced positions. Related: Tammy Abraham, Pontus Jansson and the Championship’s most eye-catching players | Nick Miller Continue reading...
Arsenal’s title hopes are on hold, Tony Pulis is hoping for money in the January transfer window and Loris Karius is keeping Jürgen Klopp happy Related: The Dozen: the weekend's best Premier League photos Continue reading...
The manager calls him a genius, Vincent Janssen the best player he has ever faced and the Belgian was again key for Tottenham in the 1-1 draw at ArsenalIt is a question that is often put to Tottenham Hotspur’s players in those slightly quirky interviews. Who is the best player at the club? They give the same answer every time: Mousa Dembélé. When Vincent Janssen was asked it recently, he went for Dembélé and the summer signing added that it was also because he was the best player he had ever faced. It is worth noting that Janssen has come up against Dembélé only in training.Dembélé is not the highest-profile Tottenham player – perhaps because he is laid back to...
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says the team must change their mentality as they prepare to meet neighbours Arsenal on SundayFor Hugo Lloris, the low point of Tottenham Hotspur’s season was defined by something unacceptable. The team’s style suffered a jarring breakdown in the 1-0 Champions League defeat against Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley on Wednesday night but it was the reason why that so infuriated the captain. According to him, the players had lost their focus. The mentality was flawed.“You cannot pretend to be a challenger, you cannot pretend to be a big club in Europe, if you are not ready to compete,” Lloris says, his measured tones somehow amplifying the force of the sentiment. “My feeling was that the...