Arsenal players failed to respond to Mikel Arteta's tactical demand in Tottenham defeat

Arsenal's defence was poor in the North London derby defeat at Tottenham and Mikel Arteta was let down in one key area.

Kolasinac repeatedly pass backwards and sideways rather than progress the ball upfield.

Arsenal, in fact, made a total of 265 backward passes, more than the number of forward passes Tottenham recorded (243). They managed to make only 125 of their passes in the final third, too, compared with 377 in the mid-third and 163 in the defensive third.

Spurs would be fourth if I'd been here the whole season - Mourinho

Arteta had commented on the new system of playing three at the back during his pre-match press

“Well, we’ve changed a little bit our formation as you can see in the last few weeks, just adapting as well for the injuries we have and the issues that occur around the team," he said.

“We need to be more flexible and willing on that adaptability. We cannot be so predictable.

“It’s an important thing to do that so that we are able to dominate different scenarios, different formations to improve as a team. We’re doing that.

“Regarding the flanks and the speed that we have, yes, that’s one of the main qualities that they [wing-backs] have.”

The aim here appeared to be to tire out Spurs, to move them from side to side and wait for an opening. In the second half, though, it proved far too easy and completely predictable for Mourinho’s side to remain in their defensive shape behind the ball and simply wait for their opportunity at the other end.

That’s what they did, though this was hardly a masterclass from the home side. They were largely passive, but Arsenal’s ponderous passing meant Tottenham’s lack of the ball, particularly after the break, was not particularly damaging.

“We nullified them, high-pressed them to give the ball back to us,” Arteta said post-game. “Trying to attack a low-block that organised is not easy, but we generated enough chances. But we give them the goals again.”

Many of the chances came in the first half, though. As Spurs dropped deeper, Arsenal seemed to run out of ideas, too often opting for the safe pass. That is something Arteta will hope to address in the coming months.

Sourced from football.london