Tim Sherwood has claimed that Arsenal’s goalless draw at Brighton on Saturday proved how ‘so poor’ Tottenham were in the North London derby last week, as he told Premier League Productions (02/10/21 at 7:45 pm)
The former Spurs boss claimed that Arsenal were ‘boring’ to watch at the Amex and they have ‘no clue’ on how to play out from the back.
Graham Potter’s side would have ended that game thinking, just like on many occasions last season, how they didn’t win, or at the very least, put the ball into the back of the net.
In the first half, there was no doubt that Brighton were the better side, as they pressed and continued to relentlessly attack their opponents.
But Arsenal’s defence, which has looked much, much stronger in recent weeks, stayed firm.
And despite the clean sheet and point, Sherwood wasn’t sure of Arsenal’s style and how that Spurs win possibly papered over the cracks.
“It looked like that was after the Lord Mayor’s Show,” said Sherwood. “That was the big game (Tottenham). Now, we are back to the boring business and it looked boring.
“I came into this game thinking ‘they have a nice balance about their team’. Out of possession, they looked good last week. But Tottenham were so poor and it just highlights how poor Tottenham were last week.
“They need to be more flexible in how they play. They are hell-bent on playing out from the back – they (Brighton) mix it up. They know when to play through and they know when to go long.
“Arsenal have no clue when to go long.”
Even though Arsenal were second-best in the South Coast, they will still feel that it was two-points dropped from their perspective.
But, in the overall picture, they are unbeaten in four league games and have secured three clean sheets in the process.
That’s a start and a platform Arteta’s previously struggling side can build on when players return from national duty in a few weeks time.
But it just goes to show how teams can react after such highs and lows.
Whilst Arsenal dropped points at the weekend, Spurs recorded a 2-1 win at home to Aston Villa, which eases pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo in the dugout.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
