Arsene Wenger Reveals What His Team Had to Sacrifice in the North London Derby

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted his team “sacrificed their fluency” in Sunday’s north London Derby against Tottenham, in an interview with the “?club’s official website.

The clash, which finished 1-1, was Sunday’s early kick-off and saw Harry Kane back after a seven-week injury lay off.

Tottenham managed to salvage a point against the red hot Gunners through the returning Kane from the penalty spot, after Kevin Wimmer had put through his own net. With another London side in Chelsea winning convincingly against Everton the night before, it was a huge opportunity to lay down a statement of intent for both teams.

Wenger claimed that Spurs stopped his side from playing with their usual “swagger”.

“In the second half we dropped a little bit physically and it became a little bit difficult for us,” the Frenchman told Arsenal.com.

“On top of that,” he continued, “the penalty looked a bit soft, but you have to swallow it. After that we gave everything but we didn’t find the resources to score.”

Wenger’s team were aiming to become the first team to inflict a league defeat upon Mauricio Pochettino’s men this season. “?Pochettino made history with the result by becoming the first manager to remain unbeaten in his opening five north London derbies.

The former Southampton manager has made a habit of avoiding defeat in the Premier League so far this season, winning five and drawing six while conceding just six goals along the way.

A frustrated Wenger will rue his side’s missed opportunities in the first half, with Spurs managing to contain in-form creative sparks Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the second half, resulting in a chance to get back into the game for the away side.

He said: “[Sacrificing fluency is] certainly a price we pay to play in the derby. Spurs defended well but we lacked a bit of creativity in the final third to be a real danger.”

Tottenham remain unbeaten but trail the 4th placed Gunners by three points and league-leaders Liverpool – who destroyed Watford 6-1 after the derby – by five points. 

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