Spurs Preview: Arsene will choose between Eboue and Van Persie
Add comment December 22nd, 2007
Ahead of this lunchtime’s derby clash with Spurs, Arsene has one major tactical decision to make: whether to keep the fit-again Emmanuel Eboue in the side and go with the XI who defeated Chelsea, or reintroduce Robin van Persie and revert to the 4-4-2 he favoured earlier in the season.
The arguments in either case are compelling. Keeping Eboue would allow Arsene to deploy Aleksandr Hleb in the centre of the field and continue using a system that has taken us to the top of the Premier League.
On the other hand, Van Persie is undoubtedly a superior calibre of player to the erratic Eboue. The clincher for me is that a 4-4-2 formation could play havoc with Tottenham’s vulnerable backline. Adebayor has a tremdendous record against Spurs, and supplementing his power with the guile of van Persie could leave Tottenham in tatters.
Last season, press and public alike raved about Dimitar Berbatov, but his goals per game ratio was far weaker than that of Van Persie. Hopefully today the Dutchman will prove that he is the superior talent.
Arsene has spoken about the tie with Milan, calling their domestic performances “average” and revealing he’ll be travelling there this weekend to watch the ageing side in action. I wonder if the draw might have scuppered any hopes he had of luring Yohann Gourcuff during the January break…
After today’s match, we’ve got two tricky away ties at Portsmouth and Everton, so three points this afternoon would be a big boost. As if beating Spurs ever required an extra incentive.
Come on Arsenal.
