Six former players and a supercomputer predict Arsenal v Tottenham result

Another huge game for Arsenal when they welcome Tottenham to the Emirates on Sunday and the pundits have already given their predictions for the match.

Both teams are coming off losses, Arsenal beaten 3-1 at Liverpool and Tottenham surprisingly losing at home 1-0 to Newcastle United.

Starting off with two former Gunners in Paul Merson and Charlie Nicholas who both go for a home win, Merson reckons it will be 4-1 and Nicholas 4-2. Don’t suppose anyone is surprised by their predictions.

The BBC’s Mark Lawrenson takes an almost opposite view to the former Arsenal duo going with a 1-1 draw, he clearly does not feel that Aubameyang and co will be as prolific in front of the goal as what Merson and Nicholas do.

Former Liverpool hitman Michael Owen is in agreement with Lawrenson also predicting a draw between the North London rivals as does former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier, who goes for a 2-2 draw.

Le Tissier’s Sky Sports colleague Phil Thompson goes for an Arsenal win, predicting that Unai Emery’s men will emerge the winners 2-1.

Finally, BT’s so-called Supercomputer is going for a 2-2 draw.

So, we have three going for an Arsenal win and four going for a draw, in better words not one of them is predicting a Tottenham win.

Cannot say I disagree.

47 Comments

        1. Yes, got to agree with that Le Coq! Had to listen to a spud earlier, giving it oh we’ve been so much better than you the last 3 years, we were robbed in the CL final & last week, was a blatant penalty… omg i didn’t think he was ever gonna zip it!!! ?????

      1. I`d rather f##k the computer than f##k Danny Mills……………..one of us needs therapy and it aint me ! 😆

  1. It depends with the Arsenal lineup. Aslong as Willock and Xhaka don’t start then am optimistic. This michael Owen just hates Arsenal Soo much and it’s funny he goes for a draw.

  2. Just In:
    Agreement reached for Nacho Monreal. Fee waived in favour of Arsenal getting first refusal and then reduced price on a Real Sociedad player of their choosing in January or Summer of 2020. Diego Llorente, Aihen Muñoz, Mikel Oyarzabal and Ander Barrenetxea are the most appealing options.

    Joe Willock will sign a new and improved deal until 2025 + option of a further year. Chambers and Guendouzi will also be offered new deals over the coming months. Kolasinac also has an offer on the table, albeit with a lower wage than currently.

    1. Thanks for the info kev

      Oyarzabal was Man City’s target and we don’t have good LW, so he would be the most exciting option. But I bet he would cost a fortune

      Nice news on Willock’s, Chambers’ and Guendouzi’s contract extensions. I don’t think Kolasinac would want to lower his wage, especially after the incident in London

  3. The supercomputer predicted 2-0 for Liverpool vs Arsenal and the real score was 3-1, which means the machine was correct in predicting Liverpool’s win

    Probably the supercomputer foresaw Emery’s tendency to use ultra-defensive tactic in big away matches

    If Emery chooses to play very safe and pragmatic again, I also predict a draw at the Emirates. Arsenal have to be more adventurous, because Spurs have strong defense

      1. It got 4 games wrong week 1, 7 wrong week 2 and 5 wrong week 3. Based on that it has a success rate of about 46% of all the games played so far. Not bad I suppose but hardly a prophet either in my opinion.

    1. This doesn’t say much for Valencia, which Arsenal beat 7-3 on aggregate in the Europa League semi final 2018/19.

  4. Allow me to share what Emery had to say about Liverpool diamond formation and Tottenham game updates…… about OZIL…
    Emery said: “This week he is training well, is physically better and he is training and doing normal work with us.
    “He is going to be closer to us and he will be available on Sunday.”
    Emery indicated that he expects Ozil to stay at the club beyond the end of the European transfer window.
    “We are not speaking about the possibility for Mesut to leave,” he said.
    “We finished here our transfer window and in Europe it is going to finish on Monday.
    “We cannot sign another player but we have some players who have a possibility to leave in the four days before the transfer window closes.
    “The club is working, some players know the situation and my focus and the team’s focus is to prepare for the match on Sunday and exclusively on Sunday.”

    *****************
    Emery though was asked about the formation at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s north London derby clash with Tottenham.
    Asked about the diamond, Emery said: “I understand (the question). We won with the diamond last year, and we lost with it. We can win and we can lose with the diamond. The consequence of the result on Sunday was not the diamond, but really we are ready to play with different tactical decisions.
    “Last year we worked and used different formations with good performances because the players here have worked on different systems. Also, they have the habit of playing in different systems.
    “We are more rich tactically with different formations and tactics and can change in each match and each moment in the 90 mins. On Sunday we will decide the best possible system for us, thinking of our gameplan and to adapt for Tottenham.”
    Emery was also asked about Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Abuameyang playing together.
    “Yes, but be calm. My decision in each moment is thinking about how we are,” said Emery.
    “For example with Lacazette he had a problem with his ankle. This week is the best week of the last three weeks. He’s getting better and feeling better with his ankle, it’s very positive.
    “With Pepe, he came here later than the others but he is getting and feeling better in each match. Aubameyang is very important for us, he scores two goals in the first two matches, he had two or three good actions in Liverpool.
    “The most important thing for me is to have chances and after with players like Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe, Micki, Reiss, Ceballos and Mesut we can score with different players.”
    ******************************

    In my opinion, Emery is a panicked man not for the Tottenham game but after criticism on his team selections he is beginning to feel the heat

  5. They might as well just ask Michael Owen will Arsenal draw or lose because I don’t think he’s ever predicted Arsenal to win a game ?

  6. A draw would be disappointing. A win would put us in a nice early position going into the first break, where we will then get a lot of players back afterwards. Tierney & Bellerin expected back in full training next month (Bellerin will probably not get starts until October though). There’s really no excuse for not getting the three points this time around. We are at home, familiar opposition, 3 top forwards, and Spurs aren’t in great form. Unfortunately when we’ve been in advantageous positions in the past, we usually do end up drawing or losing. Emery needs to get this right.

  7. a draw would be fine
    a win sublime
    a loss a crime.

    for me its Emry
    aub to score 3
    gooners are happy

  8. “We are more rich tactically with different formations and tactics and can change in each match and each moment in the 90 mins. On Sunday we will decide the best possible system for us, thinking of our gameplan and to adapt for Tottenham.”

    For Fvck sakes!! What’s wrong with this man and adapting to teams?
    What’s with him always reacting to opponents!!
    He’s never proactive.
    Geez, reading that statement alone shows what kind of coach he is.
    There he said, we can change formation in each match..
    Guys forget it, we’ll never have a standard formation or style of play.
    Yes genius, let’s wait till Sunday, then when the game kicks off, we start adapting to Tottenham!
    This is depressing!!

    1. agree. I’m tired of this too. He needs to decide a best XI and stop trying to be so clever. I dont see how you win any title by constantly adapting and worrying about what the opposition will do and not focusing on your own strengths.

      1. So Liverpool didn’t (by their own admission) spend a week adapting their game plan to what they thought we were going to play? ?

        He never said we would change formation constantly but that we could….. Tactical flexibility…. Something we used to have a lot of but lost along the way imo ?‍♂️

        1. And he’s shown this past year that he will be constantly changing just like he did last season. And no, I really don’t think Liverpool spent a week adapting to what we were going to do. The way they played us last week was no different to what they would do against any other team that comes to Anfield. They were vintage Klopp Liverpool just like they have been since he first arrived. What is vintage Emery Arsenal btw?

        2. Madhatter would you please do honour by reminding us the games in which Klopp and Pep while preparing for a game, abandoned their attacking style of play and went defensive into games..
          Oh well since this one is fresh, could you please do us the honour by explaining to us how Liverpool abandoned their own style of play and went all defensive after preparing to match us.

          1. Adapting doesn’t always mean changing your line up but how it’s focused…. They admitted they spent the week training for something we didn’t do and then adapted again at the half time when what they were doing wasn’t working?‍♂️

            Last season he was constantly trying to fit square pegs into round holes…. This season he has brought in the players he needs but not all are fit yet…. It needs time, if he is still tinkering once everyone is fit and settled then I will agree with you…. Until then I will give him the chance to prove himself the man for the job.

          2. As for abandoning our attacking style…. That means leaving the defence more open, Emery tried that last season and got burnt, why try it again when our main defenders are still out of action?
            You really wanted Monreal and AMN facing off against Salah and Mane without the extra help because its pinning back Robertson and TAA?
            He took a gamble and it almost paid off…. Doing the same things and expecting different results is the definition of insanity ?‍♂️

    2. One of the biggest criticisms of Wenger was that he didn’t adapt his tactics, now people are slating Emery for doing just that. No wonder we’ve got the reputation of having the moaniest fans. People are talking about UE like he’s some amateur who just walked in off the street- that is depressing.

      1. Totally agree. Although Liverpool dominated they scored 1 goal from open play. The other 2 goals were a set piece, which is avoidable as under Emery we rarely concede from corners/free kicks, and a penalty due to a bad decision from Luiz. I think with an inferior squad with key players in the back 4 injured, Bellerin and Tierney, who provide more defence against width and pace, Emery’s tactics weren’t bad at all. We also had a few chances which we should have put away. On a different day we would have been praising Emery. Also the level of critisism levelled at him after going to the European Champions and setting up a defensive formation is baffling as the fans were on on Wenger’s case for going and playing attacking football and focussing on his team’s strength without looking at the opponents.

    3. Season 1 Emery had a team in decline and a whole
      heap of deadwood to clear out.
      He had to do with out Torreira at the start and Leno was new.
      He had to play Mkhitarian because the Armenian was on huge wages.
      Bellerin was out most of the season the centre backs were poor.
      Ozil was never in top form.
      To make the Europa League final and be one point off
      CL in the league was amazing.
      This season we are 2 and 1 only losing to a full strength world champ on their home patch while we were missing 4 key players.
      Now almost all the dead wood are gone and some
      new promising talent has been signed.
      The squad is lean and mean with 3-4 academy coming on as well.
      This is the best Arsenal has been for 9 years.

  9. Funny. Not too long ago, guys were bashing Wenger for not adapting to other teams. Now you are again bashing Emery for adapting to the other teams. What do you guys want then, have you even considered that the team we last faced and the one we going to face are champions league finalists aka the best in Europe. Teams which you should probably tweak and adapt your formations and tactics to play against and have a chance of winning or at least a draw.

    1. theres such thing as a balance. Emery for almost an entire season has changed his XI based on what opposition is doing. It’s different to be at home and still primarily base how you line up on what the opposition will do. Emery changes things so much that I most fans could not even tell you our teams style of play. We really have no identity at the moment and are just hoping Emery knows what he is doing.

      Also, Spurs got beat by Newcastle just last week. Don’t know why you are making them out to be some unstoppable force and as good as Liverpool. Our recent record against them is just fine to the point we have no reason to fear them. And it irks me that you are satisfied with a draw against our rivals. I doubt any of the Spurs fans are coming to the Emirates hoping for just one point. The fact you have to lower our standards because you are afraid of the opposition is the exact problem.

    2. Lookie, what do we have here.. Another Einstein.
      Since y’all will never stop this bullshít that we played UCL finalists, we might as well continue the dumbass mentality y’all keep adopting.
      There’s no point in trying to adapt or fight then since Spurs are UCL finalists, hell we can’t match them.
      We can’t beat them.
      Let’s look for ways to neutralize their game plan, let’s not stick to our own game plan and let’s wait to adapt to whatever they throw at us.
      Geez, I can see you fans and Emery are a match made in heaven.
      Carry on with the negative football, silly excuses and lame sentiments.
      Sue! Don’t watch the game, there’s no way we’re winning, don’t say I didn’t remind you, we’re playing a team that got into the UCL final.
      So don’t expect a win or nice football game, at least that’s the way people think nowadays

        1. And if we lose (god forbid)we will have the same excuse like Eddie said “oh but spurs are the second best team in Europe “they made the CL Final “”we should be happy we only shipped 3 goals “.
          The mentality of the fans after the Liverpool match was Embarrassing to say the least ,and the constant pathetic excuses that some come out with ,well what can you say .
          This Arsenal team when fit should be a match for any team in this league ,I know teams can lose to any team in the PL,but the way we rolled over on Saturday was pure sh1t.

      1. I’m so confused. Einstein said it’s stupidity to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. We’ve been going to anfield under Wenger playing attacking football and getting whipped. Emery went there last season and got whipped, he tried something different and still got whipped. I think there should come a time where we hold our hands up and say they are stronger than us. I remember klopps Liverpool loosing to burnley. He didn’t get there over night, guardiola didn’t get there over night, emery won’t get there over night. We should be patient. He will get it. Call him tinkerman all you want but his tinkering got us to the uefa europa team finals and almost made the top four with a depleted team and useless defenders (mustafi). He has a better set of players now. Let’s wait till they are all fit before we judge him

        1. That was all I was trying to say bro…
          Suddenly we have Pepe and now we are Barcelona(who were also beat by Liverpool) U don’t have to love liverfools or the spuds but not respecting your opposition is a catalyst for failure.
          At least Emery understands that.

  10. Emery has one of the 3 most dangerous attacking fronts in PL (liverpool, city, then Arsenal) but this tinkerman goes out of his way not to use them.

    Took genius 13 games before he saw how good Auba and Laca were together. He should play to our strengths (attacking) and set up the midfield to balance, defend, or support attack as needed.

    Dyche plays defensively b/c he lacks attackers, Emery plays defensively b/c he chooses too. His hesitation towards opposition translates to the players.

    Likewise, his confidence translates to the players as well. Trust the attackers and their abilities? Whatever happened to him preferring to win 5-4 not 1-0? His words, remember?

    1. 3 most dangerous forwards you say? Playing a front three means we need two wingers in that 3, one of which will be pepe. Who is the second one then? Laca doesn’t have the pace – most important quality of a winger. Sure Auba has the pace, but should our most prolific striker get shunted to the wing because you fantasize about a front three? There are functional issues to be addressed when assembling a team. Playing ALP together isn’t right in a 433 even more so against a top-10 team. It doesn’t bring out the best in each individual player. Some formations for ALP are 343(and it’s variations), 442(with Auba and Laca up front and Pepe as winger either to cross or cut-in). Please stop this 433 dream, Emery has been a couch for more than a decade, your suggestions make it look like he’s a newbie.

      And as for the Liverpool game, do you know they haven’t lost at home in epl since some time 2017. Emery’s diamond took Liverpool by surprise and for all the space available in the flanks how many decent crosses were put in by Liverpool! They could only score from a corner, the other two goals were luiz’s fault. If we had a vvd we would have prevented those. Consider too that during previous seasons when Arsenal went guns blazing to big teams away we were humiliated, remember the 4-0 and 5-1 at anfield the past two seasons! Remember 51 goals conceded last season; higher than lowly Newcastle huh? We’ve been going to anfield throwing caution to the wind and putting emphasis on our game plan, what has it yielded us? We may have lost this recent game but we can be proud of making it a difficult game, surprising them with a unique formation and giving them a scare with the 2 or 3 decent chances we had before they scored. I am proud of the performance and would only blame our defense (Luiz). And for those clamoring why laca didn’t start. We needed pace and maybe height for our counterattack plan which Auber and Pepe possess also, Emery just mentioned the then-ankle issue with Laca.
      We need to get behind that team and Emery, support them and trust his lead. This is his second season in charge and do not forget we agonizingly came within a point of top 4 last season and could still have made champs league if we had taken our chances@ Europa l final first half/had solid defense. We wanted Wenger out and he isn’t at the helm anymore. We wanted big money signings we got them. We were ready to splash more than £50m on Upamecano/Rugani to come in an immediately strengthen the defense, but neither worked out.
      I hear people spouting off about front 3, why Laca is/was on the bench, why this and that, why we adapt our formation / game plan to other teams (remember when Wenger was stubborn to adapt and teams found us out?), why we haven’t identify (predictability in a sports team isn’t right unless you have dominance that can hardly be countered -Liverpool and Man City in mind) and the likes. Please be patient and give the manager time, get behind and support the team. No more criticism unless absolutely necessary and sensible.

  11. Danny Mills and Steward Robson sound the same and act the same. Both have monotonous voices and negate Arsenal automatically. For me they are a pair of wally’s. Most pundits are not that bright. Not enough education and too much attachment.
    There is no doubt that we have a potential fighting force. Our biggest problem is not the team….it is Unai Emery. We all thought we were getting a warrior, but after Liverpool, it’s clear he is a damp squib. If Emery get over the ‘Warrior’ to the team and picks a warrior’s team we will win. But if he falls for the Xhaka script and even plays Nelson and Xhaka then we will probably lose. Xhaka is an ‘Animal’ in the wrong way and Nelson, sadly, is not good enough.
    So we must play Auba, Laca, and Pepa…our ALPs. We need Torreira to bite, Guendouzi to recycle and Ceballos to energise. At home I hope Kolasinac gets a start because the guy can take care of himself and Tottenham will have a make shift right back. AMN needs to DEFEND and leave the attack to the ALPs. If Emery can break his romance with Xhaka we can win. With Xhaka, expect a booking, penalty and slow non-spontaneous football. Remember Xhaka vs Brighton….4th place at stake I say no more.

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