Jamie Redknapp names Tottenham’s ‘kryptonite’ which was exploited by Arsenal

Sun 15 September 2024 18:45, UK

A single lapse of concentration cost Tottenham dearly in their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal during Sunday’s North London derby.

Ange Postecoglou‘s side dominated the ball and committed numbers forward from the first whistle, but they were unable to find a way past Arsenal‘s resolute defence.

William Saliba and Gabriel shone for the visitors, with Arsenal’s defensive duo putting on a masterful performance in both boxes.

They were able to keep Tottenham’s £65m club-record signing Dominic Solanke quiet at the back, while Gabriel broke the deadlock with a towering header in the second half.

The Brazilian was named as the Player of the Match by Gary Neville for his performance, and Jamie Redknapp believes Arsenal and Gabriel were able to exploit Tottenham‘s “kryptonite”.

Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Tottenham terrible at set pieces

Postecoglou will be worried about his side’s poor record from set pieces. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was targeted last season after making a handful of mistakes from crosses into his box.

Arsenal targeted him with set pieces and Neville criticised Vicario for ‘panicking’ during the 1-0 defeat.

Spurs certainly don’t lack height with a defensive partnership of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, but the duo couldn’t handle the aerial threat of Gabriel and Saliba.

Speaking on , Redknapp said that Tottenham’s inability to defend corners is their biggest weakness.

“It is Spurs’ Kryptonite, they cannot defend from corners,” Redknapp said.

“But Arsenal and Aston Villa are the best at corners, the detail, good delivery in, they are attacking the ball, they were unlucky in the first half, but with the right delivery in the second half from Saka and Gabriel is just too strong for Romero and it is a fantastic header.”

Arsenal’s defensive masterclass

Arsenal were on the back foot heading into the derby clash. Injuries to Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori left them short of options, but the rest of the squad stepped up in their absence.

Either side of Gabriel and Saliba, Ben White and Jurrien Timber were also fantastic defensively, although the latter could have faced a red card for a controversial challenge on Pedro Porro.