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The Independent
Arsenal have quality in their squad to cope with absentees â Ange Postecoglou
By George Sessions,
10 hours ago
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has warned his squad not to expect to face a weakened Arsenal team on Sunday.
The Gunners will definitely be without midfielder Declan Rice due to suspension, while summer recruit Mikel Merino is sidelined with a shoulder injury and captain Martin Odegaard is expected to miss out after he sustained an ankle issue on international duty with Norway.
However, Postecoglou bristled at the notion it could be a good opportunity for Spurs to face their north London rivals, who have finished second in each of the last two Premier League seasons.
âGod, thatâs a hell of a trap to fall into if you think theyâre reliant on two players,â Postecoglou said. âTwo important players, but we were missing key players last year as well and we still managed to give significant performances.
âA team like Arsenal have been very, very consistent over the last two years and can fill whatever gaps they have. They have the quality in their squad. The key for us is the focus on our performance.
âWhen weâve played well, and we certainly have played well in the first three games, (if weâre) a little more clear-headed in both boxes, weâre a match for any team. Thatâs what weâve got to think about at the weekend.
âIf we go in there thinking theyâre somehow weakened, weâre going to get punished. If we go into it thinking theyâre going to be very strong, which I think they will be, then weâve got to be at our best. We know at our best and playing the football that we can, we can match them.â
A key feature of Arsenalâs success during recent years under Mikel Arteta has been their set-piece prowess, which came to the fore in a 3-2 win at Tottenham in April.
Ben White notably tried to distract Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario during several corner kicks when he touched his gloves.
Postecoglou added: âThatâs the dark arts, isnât it?
âIf he does, Vic can give them to him. I donât know. They can deal with it. Rock, paper, scissors or whatever it takes. Iâm not interested.
âWe were 20-odd points behind the top two last year, so I think itâs more than one area. Whether itâs set pieces, our general game, our defensive work, our offensive work, our individual players, the quality of our squad, all of it needs to improve.
âArsenal are definitely a threat at set-pieces, itâs something you have to be focused on, but we need to be focused on all of our game.
âItâs not just about shutting them down in one area, itâs about nullifying their strengths and accentuating ours to overcome them.â
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