Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has described Arsenal football club as a team that can win any other team in the league. He cited the instances where Arsenal managed to beat Manchester United 0-1 on November 1 and lost to Liverpool 3-1 on September 28.
Though Jose Mourinho noted that Arsenal are not enjoying the kind of form they enjoyed at the tail end of the 2019-2020 season where they went from the 14th spot to the 9th spot on the league table after a very good run of games. During the same period, they defeated Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Cup and also defeated Chelsea in the final of the competition.
But such a form is far from Arsenal football club so far this season. Unlike Tottenham Hotspur that has recorded 6 wins, 3 draws and just a defeat in 10 league games, Arsenal has recorded 4 wins, a draw, and 5 defeats in 10 league games.
Arsenal’s performance so far this season has forced the club to remain in the 14th spot with 13 points. While Tottenham Hotspur which spent two weeks as the league table toppers are currently sitting second on the league table with 21 points. A win over Arsenal later today will return them to the top of the league table.
However, Jose Mourinho believes that if Arsenal could return to the formation they often used towards the end of last season which permitted them to use five defenders, Arsenal could be a very difficult side to beat.
“To me, they are a very good team that had a big improvement last season”, Mourinho said ahead of Tottenham’s game against Arsenal scheduled for 17:30 tonight.
“This season if you look at Manchester United versus Arsenal or if you look at Liverpool versus Arsenal – even though they lost – you realize they can beat anyone. They are quite versatile, they can play in different ways.
“I think they will go back to what they were a few months ago, playing with a back five and being much more defensive because that was the way they beat Manchester City and Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final and final. They are going to be a difficult opponent.”
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🕟 Kick-off: 4.30pm (UK time)
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On the other hand, the coach of Arsenal football club, Mikel Arteta has revealed that he learned a lot from Tottenham Hotspur’s all-access documentary series.
The Amazon Prime documentary was filmed after Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham’s coach in the summer of 2019. The Amazon Prime camera followed Tottenham throughout the remaining games in the 2019-2020 season which Mourinho was in charge of.
It shows how Mourinho prepared his players ahead of league games, how he treated them after matches, and how the players reacted to defeats and losses.
“Very interesting,” Arteta said after confirming he had watched the series. “It is great to see the inside of other football clubs, other ideas, other coaches, other organizations.
“I like to see that – I do that with other sports as well because there are a lot of things you can take, and as well a manager like Mourinho that has been in many different countries, in all of them he has been successful so there is a way to that.
“There are some important moments in that documentary when you can pick some relevant things of why he is getting the success that he is getting.”
Mikel Arteta needs to push his Arsenal’s players to get at least a point from tonight’s game against Tottenham. A defeat could make the call for his removal as Arsenal’s coach louder before the new year sets in.
Derby day ready. Onwards to tomorrow.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 5, 2020
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