Ahead of his 13th North London derby as an Arsenal manager or player, Mikel Arteta thought the team-talk needed something fresh, arresting. So he turned to the long-serving club photographer Stuart MacFarlane. He is a familiar face to the players. His job means he knows their faces intimately.
So last September, MacFarlane stood in front of the tactics board in the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium and addressed the players. He spoke as a fan, emotional, urgent, gritty in some of his language, spelling out what this fixture meant to his fellow supporters assembled in the seats above.
On the faces he knows so well he saw a mixture of reactions to his words: Some clenched-jawed smiles, some deep, concentrated stares. Not all footballers are alike, but something was triggered by the unusual device Arteta had chosen to motivate them. By the 34th minute, Arsenal were 3-0 up against Tottenham Hotspur.
Arteta will not, most likely, ask MacFarlane to make a speech on Saturday, when Spurs visit for the first derby of a very different autumn. Novel tricks tend to have an impact only once, and, besides, the mood among Arsenal’s players is less in need of a sudden, startling boost.
Ahead of the equivalent fixture last year, a poor start to the campaign had left Arsenal in the bottom half of the Premier League table. This September, Arsenal are top, and, should they repeat last season’s home triumph over Spurs – it finished 3-1 – they would go four points clear of second-placed Manchester City.
From that elevated vantage point Arsenal fans dare to anticipate at least a top four finish that would bring Champions League football to their elegant stadium for the first time since 2017, an era when the team-talks were still being delivered by the cerebral Arsene Wenger.
Arteta learned a great deal from Wenger, as an Arsenal midfielder for five years when top-four finishes were routine, but he wears his passion on his sleeve more obviously than his French mentor did.
He could scarcely conceal his disappointment when, in his most recent confrontation with Spurs, the possibility of fourth place, or better, fizzled away. That derby, in May, had none of the energy Arsenal, geed up by MacFarlane, carried into last season’s home game. It was its mirror opposite.
Brentford 0 Arsenal 3: player ratings
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BRENTFORD RATINGS: David Raya 7: Wayward distribution at times in first half but no chance with either goal – or Vieira’s wonder strike just after half-time. Denied Arsenal a fourth with good saves from Jesus – twice – and Saka. Getty -
Aaron Hickey 6: Kept busy by Tierney and Martinelli down his right flank and given little opportunity to push forward. Getty -
Ben Mee 6: Gave Vieira a typical Premier League introduction with crunching sliding challenge on byline. Made to look like old man by Saka’s pace just after break. AP -
Kristoffer Ajer 6: Norwegian centre-half, making first appearance of season, did little wrong at the back on day where it was the Bees midfield that failed to turn up. Reuters -
Pontus Jansson 5: Captain caught out by Xhaka’s ball over defence for Gunner's second goal in one of too many examples of Bees being caught napping at back. Reuters -
Vitaly Janelt 4: Given no time to get time on ball or get grip on midfield battle that home side lost from pretty much from first minute until last. Reuters -
Mathias Jensen 5: Took ball off Jesus when Arsenal attacker tried to juggle ball over his head at one point but Dane failed to find teammate with ball into box – typical of the Bees' service to forwards. Limped off with 20 minutes left. AP -
Josh Dasilva 5: Back in team against former club and tried to be link-up man across midfield for front two but found little joy. PA -
Rico Henry 4: Little opportunity to use his pace down left flank and made no impact. Reuters -
Bryan Mbeumo 4: Received little service in opening half bar one half chance from Toney cross but couldn’t connect with his head. Same story after break on what was strangely low-key home performance. AFP -
Ivan Toney 6: Best work in first half was tracking back and helping defence although Saliba stole in front of England’s latest call-up to head Arsenal in front. Almost scored inventive free-kick early in first half but fired shot just over. Won late penalty but offside flag had gone up and then flashed header wide. Getty -
SUBS: Frank Onyeka (On for Jenelt 64’) 5: Couldn’t help team get back into match. AP -
Mikkel Damsgaard (On for Dasilva 64’) 6: Chance to pull one back with 20 minutes left but Ramsdale blocked well. Reuters -
Shandon Baptiste (On for Jensen 69’) 6: Threaded ball through to Damsgaard just after coming on but fellow sub couldn’t finish. Getty Yoane Wissa (On for Mbeumo 75’) N/A. -
ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale 7: Did not have serious save to make until 70th minute when he blocked Damsgaard’s shot. Getty -
Ben White 7: Coped easily with pace of Henry and didn’t put foot wrong on right flank. AP -
William Saliba 8: Flicked near-post header from corner off post and over the line to put Gunners into lead. Started move for third goal with fine turn under pressure at back before playing ball forward. Getty -
Gabriel 7: Seemed to pick up injury in warm-up and pulled up 20 minutes into match but played on and coasted through rest of game in fine Gunners defensive performance. Flashed shot over bar from distance with 20 minutes to go. AP -
Kieran Tierney 7: Back in team with Zinchenko injured and produced some of his usual galloping runs down left flank. Given space to shoot just before break but fired well over from edge of box. Reuters -
Thomas Partey 8: Ghanian midfielder returned after missing four games through injury and ran the show from middle of park. Getty -
Granit Xhaka 8: Took captain’s armband again with Odegaard out injured and dinked a lovely ball over top to find Jesus for second goal. Unnecessary yellow card when blocked Raya as goalkeeper looked to launch Bees' counter-attack. Reuters -
Fabio Vieira 8: Making first Premier League start and didn’t seem to like one thumping early Mee challenge. Played in Saka first first-half chance that attacker blazed over. Hit sweet left-footed strike off post to make it 3-0. AFP -
Bukayo Saka 8: Whipped-in corner from England attacker found Saliba to open scoring. Cracked right-footed shot over bar that could have put Gunners into 3-0 first-half lead. Almost made of four but keeper palmed his shot away. Getty -
Gabriel Martinelli 7: On end of slick move after just two minutes but slipped and scuffed shot to keeper. Give away silly free-kick that almost saw Toney score in second half. Worked hard and a constant thorn in side of oppsition defence. Reuters -
Gabriel Jesus 9: Tremendous header to put Gunners two up in first half. Prevented a second goal with Raya twice saving well in second half. What a signing the Brazilian has been so far. Getty -
SUBS: Eddie Nketiah (On for Martinelli 78’) N/A. AFP -
Albert Sambi Lokonga (On for Partey 78’) N/A. Reuters -
Takehiro Tomiyasu (On for White 86’) N/A. Reuters -
Ethan Nwaneri (On for Vieira 90+1’) N/A. Became youngest player in English top-flight history with he appeared in injury time aged 15 years and 181 days. Getty -
Oliveira Alencar (On for Saka 90+1’) N/A. Reuters
Spurs led 3-0 by the second minute of the second half; Arsenal played an hour with 10 men following Rob Holding’s red card. The result put Spurs ahead in the race for Champions League access, and all it entails in terms of revenue and the ability to attract signings.
Arsenal are not in Europe this season, and Arteta would be entitled to claim some credit for persuading several of Arsenal’s summer recruits that while they were joining a club that might not be in this season’s Champions League, it had the momentum, the manager, and the belief to be in Europe’s most prestigious competition next September.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus are seasoned, serial champions from their Manchester City careers – from where they knew Arteta, a former number two to Pep Guardiola – and they believed. So did Fabio Vieira, who joined from Porto, where Champions League participation had been a given for the 22-year-old.
Tottenham meanwhile could guarantee a seasoned European campaigner like Ivan Perisic, hired from Inter Milan, midweek nights standing to attention to the Uefa anthem. They were shopping in a summer market with similar objectives to their London neighbours’.
Perisic and Zinchenko are both versatile, left-sided midfielders who can operate at full-back; Yves Bissouma, who joined Spurs from Brighton, is, like Vieira, a midfielder of great promise. Richarlison, signed from Everton, is a Brazilian striker of technique and energy - as is Gabriel Jesus.
Tottenham 6 Leicester 2: player ratings
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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR PLAYER RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 6. Saved Tielemans’ penalty but had stepped off his line and was beaten by the Belgian’s second attempt. There was nothing he could do to deny Maddison’s goal but he stood strong to stop his shot at the end of the first half. Came out well to stop a ball through to Daka, then did even better to save his header. Getty -
Davinson Sanchez – 5. Conceded a penalty with a clumsy tackle on Justin having made a mistake earlier in the move. Did settle a bit after that, making a good header to deal with Castagne’s cross and being unlucky to see his header tipped onto the crossbar. AP -
Eric Dier – 6. Followed up his recall to the England squad by scoring a glancing header to put Spurs ahead. Was beaten to Castagne’s cross by Maddison for the equaliser. PA -
Clement Lenglet – 6. Leicester were able to get some joy on his side of the defence at times in the first half, but the Frenchman didn’t make any notable errors. Reuters -
Ivan Perisic – 6. Got away with giving the ball away cheaply a couple of times in dangerous areas, although he did put some brilliant deliveries into the box, including the corner that resulted in Dier’s goal. Booked for joining the celebrations as a substitute following Son’s goal. AP -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7. Hit a wild effort high and wide but was more effective with his work in the middle of the pitch. Did brilliantly to race back and dispossess Barnes. Slipped Son in for his hat-trick goal. Getty -
Rodrigo Bentancur – 8. Raced back to deny Daka well, also robbed Ndidi of possession and strode forward before finishing well. Did brilliantly to dispossess Justin and set up Son. Could have had another goal but was denied by Ward. EPA -
Ryan Sessegnon – 6. Made a good start in an attacking sense but wasn’t strong enough against Castagne when the Belgian set up Maddison for Leicester’s equaliser. Had a better second half. AP -
Dejan Kulusevski – 6. Put in a brilliant cross to pick out Kane for the equaliser and continued to cause problems for Leicester’s backline in the first period. Had a quieter second half. Getty -
Harry Kane – 8. Had periods where he wasn’t involved as much as he would like but scored a clinical header for Spurs’ swift equaliser. Selfish in the latter stages and hit a shot that was blocked instead of playing Son in but teed up his partner moments later to get an assist. EPA -
Richarlison – 7. Put in a determined display, notably chasing down a lost cause to win the corner that Dier scored from. Unlucky to see his acrobatic shot blocked. PA -
SUBS: Emerson Royal (Perisic 55’) – 5. Clumsy at times and often took too long on the ball, inviting pressure. EPA -
Son Heung-min (Richarlison 59’) – 10. Got his first goal of the season with a superb finish, then hit another strike that was arguably even better. Couldn’t connect with an effort in search of a hat-trick, but only had to wait a couple more minutes to get it. The Korean is up and running. Getty -
Cristian Romero (Sanchez 59’) – 6. Made a great tackle to deny Barnes when it appeared that he might break through on goal. Missed an absolute sitter but Son was offside anyway. Getty -
Yves Bissouma (Kulusevski 70’) – 6. Helped to solidify the midfielder as Spurs went on to secure an emphatic victory. Reuters -
LEICESTER CITY PLAYER RATINGS: Danny Ward – 4. There were times when he needed to be far more authoritative, but the Welshman wriggled out of trouble when put under pressure by Kulusevski, then made a fingertip save to deny Sanchez’s header. It felt harsh to see some of the late goals that flew past him. Getty -
Timothy Castagne – 5. Struggled defensively and was clumsy in possession early on, but he improved as the first half progressed and found Maddison with the cross for his goal. EPA -
Wout Faes – 5. Played some brilliant passes during the game, including one to release Daka through on goal. There were times that he showed good anticipation with his defending, but there was nothing he could do when Spurs stepped up a gear. EPA -
Jonny Evans – 4. Some of his passing was poor but he did put in a good block to deny Richarlison. Could do nothing to stop Spurs once they got going. Reuters -
James Justin – 5. Drew Sanchez in well to win a penalty and often looked a threat down the left when he was able to get forward. Lost the ball cheaply to Bentancur in the build-up to Son’s goal. AP -
Wilfred Ndidi – 3. Put in a good block to deny Perisic but smashed his own shot high and wide and conceded possession cheaply for Bentancur to put Spurs ahead, then got himself booked for a foul on Hojbjerg. Lucky Bentancur didn’t finish after his weak challenge in the box. EPA -
James Maddison – 8. Can leave this game with his head held high, as he created plenty of issues for Spurs’ backline and beat Lloris with an elegant finish to equalise. Even put in some good defensive work at times. Played a brilliant ball in for Daka’s header. Was trying to make things happen until the very end. EPA -
Youri Tielemans – 5. Had an unconvincing penalty saved before being allowed to retake it and beating Lloris. Overplayed when there was an opportunity to score a Leicester second and was invisible for large periods. EPA -
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5. Beaten too easily by Kulusevski when the Swede crossed for Spurs’ equaliser. While his passing was lacking quality at times, he played the ball out to Castagne that resulted in Leicester’s second of the game. Reuters -
Harvey Barnes – 4. Lacked conviction in most of his play, as epitomised when he got an unconvincing touch on Justin’s cross. Getty -
Patson Daka – 5. Wasted an opportunity to break with a lack of awareness, then hit a shocking early shot after being played through by Faes. Teed up Maddison well for a chance then was unlucky to have a great header saved. Booked for handling the ball while trying to meet Maddison’s drilled cross. AP -
SUBS: Jamie Vardy (Daka 76’) – N/R. Wasn’t given much of a chance to make things happen as Spurs went on to win convincingly. Reuters -
Kelechi Iheanacho (Dewsbury-Hall 76’) – N/R. Played a terrible cross trying to find Vardy in the final stages. PA -
Boubakary Soumare (Ndidi, 85’) – N/R. Came on for a front row seat as Son completed his hat-trick. Getty
The former City striker has been a superb addition, with his four goals and three assists so far, and for his aggression and leadership qualities. Richarlison has so far been on the Spurs bench for all but two Premier League matchdays. But in the duel for Brazil’s approval, Richarlison leads his compatriot.
The national team’s manager, Tite, this month selected Richarlison to spearhead the Brazil’s attack in two World Cup warm-up games, and left out of his squad the in-form Jesus.
Richarlison promptly netted his seventh goal in six Brazil matches. Gabriel Jesus’s last competitive goal in national colours was in 2019, 15 appearances ago.
The Arsenal man may still earn selection for Qatar if he maintains his club form. Matches such as Saturday’s high-pressure, top-end-of-the-table derby need to make his case.
His duel with Richarlison, if and when Spurs manager Antonio Conte calls the striker into action, will be monitored by Tite, while the home club’s official photographer will be keeping his lens trained on Arsenal’s number nine.
