Jermaine Pennant: Form means nothing heading into North London derby
Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has told NewBettingOffers.co.uk that form means next to nothing when heading into a big fixture like the North London derby, claiming that if Tottenham come to the Emirates with the right mentality, they are more than capable of taking points off Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Speaking to NewBettingOffers.co.uk, Pennant said: “The North London derby can only be decided on the day. It can always go either way, regardless of the form going into it. Tottenham have shown they can be amazing on the day, and when they turn up, everyone starts to think that Spurs are back. It’ll depend completely on which Spurs side turns up.
“Their away form has been great this season, far better than their home form which has been somewhat lacking. Going into the North London derby, all form goes out the window anyway. It always boils down to who wants it more.
“Both teams know they’re capable of beating each other, and the crowd and the fans will play a huge part in it. You’d probably say that Arsenal are favourites, but anything can happen.”
Bragging rights makes North London Derby so special
Pennant claims the North London derby is so special as there is no bigger rivalry between any of the teams in London than that of Arsenal and Spurs.
“There are a lot of London derbies, but this always feels like the biggest game,” he said. “It’s the bragging rights in North London that make it such a big fixture. What makes it mean so much is the fact that these two teams genuinely don’t like each other and that adds that bit of spice to it.
“If Spurs fans were told they’d finish the season just above relegation zone and for Arsenal not to win the Premier League this season, they’d take it. That’s how much Spurs hate Arsenal.
“The bragging rights span the length of the season so if Spurs were to beat the Gunners this weekend, they won’t stop talking about it until the teams meet the next time.”
Gabriel’s absence will affect Arsenal’s attack just as much as defence
Pennant discussed the absence of Arsenal centre-back Gabriel for Sunday’s clash, claiming his threat in attack will be missed just as much as his defensive contribution.
He said: “Not having Gabriel at the back will be a massive hit for Arsenal, not only in defence, but more so as an attacking threat from set-pieces. He’s obviously a very good defender but further up the pitch he has such a presence. That will dent their chances of scoring.
“He’s like a magnet for any set-piece and he always manages to get himself on the end of the ball from a corner, free-kick and even long throw-ins. Either he gets the flick on to create a chance for his teammates, or he’s there putting the ball in the back of the net.
“His movement is phenomenal and he can get up to attack any header. That threat will be a big loss for Arsenal, particularly as their scoring record from open play is not as good as it is from set-pieces. If Spurs put the low block in, it’s hard to create opportunities outside of set-pieces.”
Long throws have become a legitimate set-piece tactic
Pennant encourages Premier League teams to add long throws back into their playbooks, having spent four seasons with set-piece masters Stoke between 2010 and 2014.
He said: “My old Stoke boss Tony Pulis must be fuming! He was slaughtered when he was in charge for implementing the long throws and creating chaos in the box. Now he’s watching teams like Arsenal do it challenging for the Premier League title!
“If you’ve got something like a long throw that you can use which can make a genuine difference to the outcome of a game, you’re going to use it. Likewise, if you’ve got someone who can put it on a plate from the halfway line and cause absolute mayhem in the box to score you a goal, then you’d be stupid not to take advantage of that.
“The reason why the long throw was phased out was because it was frowned upon and it didn’t look very nice, particularly when Pep Guardiola came into English football with Manchester City and changed the way teams played, to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
“Teams initially wanted to adopt that style but more recently have been seeing that defences find it difficult defending the long, high ball inside their box so have started using it in their matches.
“If you can create a similar threat on goal from a throw-in as you would a corner or free-kick, then why wouldn’t you?”
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