Whoscored have revealed their combined North London Derby eleven based on this season’s performance ratings ahead of the big showdown between Tottenham and Arsenal on Sunday.
While most people’s combined Tottenham-Arsenal team was dominated by Spurs players a few years ago, the situation has completely reversed.
Not many Tottenham players will now get in over their Arsenal counterparts, with the Gunners becoming regular title contenders and proving that they have staying power at the top.
Spurs Web’s combined Tottenham-Arsenal eleven has three Spurs representatives: Micky van de Ven, Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke.
WhoScored names four Tottenham players in combined North London Derby XI
While the combined elevens are usually very subjective, Whoscored have now made an objective team, based on the average performance ratings of each Arsenal and Spurs player this season.
They have four Spurs representatives, but none of Van de Ven, Xavi or Solanke makes the cut.
Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Joao Palhinha and Richarlison are the four Tottenham stars who find a place in their eleven.
The quality gap between Spurs and Arsenal is not as big as it may seem
Arsenal have double the amount of points Tottenham do this season, with 29 points separating the two sides. However, that is not a fair reflection of the gap in quality between the two sides.
Tottenham’s first-choice backline is arguably as good as Arsenal’s, with not a lot to choose between the two centre-back pairings.
Spurs’ forward line, when the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus are fit, is also arguably not a long way away from the Gunners.
It is only in the middle of the park where Arsenal have a clear edge over Tottenham, and that is why the Lilywhites may need to prioritise upgrading in that department in the summer.