Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has expressed his worries about Nuno Tavares ahead of the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur next week.
The Gunners are in the driving seat in the top four race at the moment. We are currently two points ahead of Spurs, and as long as we match their results until the end of the season, we’ll be back in the Champions League next term.
Many view the derby next week as the decider for the fourth spot, which means we simply have to win. Parlour, however, is concerned that Antonio Conte will tell his players to target young Tavares.
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Ray Parlour: Tottenham will target Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares
Speaking on talkSPORT this morning (Friday, 6 May, 2022, 09:50 am), Parlour said: “I worry about the full-back areas. Tierney is brilliant if he stays fit but he’s been injured quite often in an Arsenal shirt.
“Defensively, he (Tavares) is not the best, if I’m being honest. He’s got to improve on that.
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“He’s better in a three at the back, when he plays wing-back. But, he’s vulnerable at left-back.
“I’m sure Spurs will be saying: ‘Well OK, let’s play down the left-hand side and Tavares.’ They might get a bit of joy down that side when they play them next Thursday.”
The NLD may not even matter in top-four race
Every game Arsenal play against Tottenham is a must-win. We simply cannot lose to that lot – not even in a friendly. But, if we do come out of the derby next week with a negative result, it may not even matter in the context of the top-four race.
Tottenham face Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow and Jurgen Klopp’s men will most likely get the win there. If Arsenal manage to beat Leeds on Sunday, we’ll go into the North London Derby five points ahead of Spurs.
If that happens and Tottenham manage to beat us, they’ll still be two points behind us in the table. All Arsenal will have to do again is match their result in the final two games of the season to finish in the top four.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal players, however, will definitely not go in with that mentality. We’ll go to Tottenham with only one thing on our mind – beat them and seal Champions League qualification in their own backyard.
