The former Arsenal talisman knows what it takes to be a top striker, which is why he admires Tottenham’s Harry Kane so much.
With Arsenal’s defensive frailties still prominent this season, it’s easy for the fans to fear hosting Tottenham. However, form is redundant when it comes to the big derbies, so Arsenal mustn’t be too wary.
Ian Wright, a legend at Arsenal, was quick to touch on the man everybody’s talking about, Harry Kane. The Englishman deemed as one of their own has a track record of bullying Arsenal. There aren’t many clubs who can get away from Kane’s impressive goal scoring ability, and unfortunately for the Gunners, they aren’t one of them. Here’s what Wright had to say about Kane ahead of this fixture:
"“You need to stop the supply (to Harry Kane). He will not be taken off unless he is injured. So if Dele (Alli), (Christian) Eriksen and Son (Heung-Min) are playing well and getting balls in and around the box you literally can’t stop him.” – Ian Wright (via This is futbol)"
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It’s an interesting stance which Wright is taking here. Obviously, it’s hard for Arsenal defenders to isolate Harry Kane – They’ve tried and failed miserably in the past. However, stopping the supply into him is a much better option.
Obviously, Arsenal has Lucas Torreira bossing the midfield now and he can easily cope with the likes of Dele and Eriksen. I mean, he’s already bossed Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar this year, so take your pick.
Of course, Kane is known to produce chances for himself. But should his teammates be isolated, then this could lead to him lacking the morale. Let’s not forget that Tottenham are coming off the back of a must-win Champions League game, so their stars are bound to be tired. Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka are freshly rested and both of them are in fine form under Unai Emery.
Emery knows what’s best, that’s for sure. Being the man of heavy research he is, he will have learnt a lot from his opening two games, one of which being a London derby loss at the hands of Chelsea.
This game really is tough to predict, but if Arsenal do stand a chance of stopping Harry Kane then they’ll need to take the advice of Ian Wright. After all, nobody will know how Kane works just as much as Wrighty does.
What is your score predicition for this North London derby?