Who'd be in a combined Arsenal/Tottenham team?
Arsenal fans have had a firm grip on the north London bragging rights in the last few decades. Not only have the Gunners won six league titles since Spurs' most recent triumph in 1961, they recently went on an unbroken 21-year run of finishing above their local rivals.
That sequence ended last term, though, when Mauricio Pochettino's men finished 11 points clear of their fiercest adversaries. But which team can lay claim to the most representatives in our combined XI?
GK: Hugo Lloris
Petr Cech is one of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history, but his best years came at Chelsea and he’s beaten to the No.1 jersey in this team by the younger, more mobile Lloris.
As well as being a tremendous shot-stopper, the Frenchman’s willingness to leave his penalty area and sweep up behind his team’s defence is essential to the way Spurs play. His distribution has been known to occasionally let him down, but Lloris is nevertheless one of the best goalkeepers around right now.
CB: Toby Alderweireld
Currently out of action with a hamstring injury, Alderweireld’s importance to Tottenham will probably be underlined in his absence. The Belgium international has arguably been the Premier League’s foremost defender since his move to White Hart Lane in 2015, impressing with his anticipation, intelligence and long-range distribution.
Signed from Atletico Madrid for £11.5m, Alderweireld goes down as one of Spurs’ best bargain buys in recent times; he’s certainly worth a great deal more than that just two and a half years on.
CB: Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal have been criticised for their perceived defensive vulnerability throughout Koscielny's seven years in north London, but things would have been a lot worse were it not for the former Lorient centre-half. Quick, aggressive and an excellent reader of the game, the Frenchman has been a stable presence alongside a host of partners in the heart of Arsenal's backline.
Now 32, there have been occasional signs of decline in Koscielny's game in the last 18 months, but he remains one of the Premier League's foremost defenders.
CB: Jan Vertonghen
Often viewed as the inferior member of Tottenham's all-Belgian centre-back partnership, Vertonghen has arguably been better than Toby Alderweireld since the start of last season. Strong, smart and in possession of a terrific left foot, it's rare to see the ex-Ajax man out-thought, out-run or out-foxed by opposition strikers.
He's also adept at bringing the ball out from the back, a task which has been helped by the arrival of Davinson Sanchez, whose presence in the centre of Mauricio Pochettino's three-man defence has enabled Vertonghen to play as an outside centre-half - probably his best position.
RWB: Hector Bellerin
Last summer Bellerin was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, where he spent eight years during his youth career. But Arsenal dug in their heels and refused to countenance selling their right-back to the La Liga giants.
His form suffered a dip last season and he was even booed by a section of the travelling Arsenal support in a 3-0 defeat by Crystal Palace, but Bellerin's rediscovered his confidence of late and, still only 22, has plenty of time for further improvement.
CM: Aaron Ramsey
Almost 10 years into his Emirates career, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Ramsey still hasn’t fulfilled his potential at Arsenal. Having been denied his preferred central midfield berth in previous seasons, the Welshman is now established in the Gunners’ engine room and needs to prove he can deliver week in, week out this season.
There’s no denying Ramsey’s talent, though: the Cardiff academy graduate possesses a fine blend of drive, technique and energy, which is why he makes the cut in this team.
CM: Mousa Dembele
Injuries have restricted Dembele to just three Premier League starts in Tottenham’s first 11 games of the 2017/18 campaign, but he’ll almost certainly be a more regular presence in Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice XI once he returns to full fitness.
Harry Winks looks like a superb prospect and Victor Wanyama, Granit Xhaka and Eric Dier all provide qualities of their own, but midfield maestro Dembele – a player who combines a bodyguard’s brute force with a ballerina’s balance – wins the race for the second spot in the centre of the park.
LWB: Danny Rose
Rose has endured a tough 2017, with injury restricting him to just six Premier League starts in the first 10 and a half months of the calendar year. He's currently working his way back to full fitness and probably won't return to his best until 2018, but the dynamic, attack-minded left-back is still Spurs' best option despite Ben Davies' recent improvements.
He also beats off competition from Sead Kolasinac, the former Schalke defender who's enjoyed a fine start to life at Arsenal. It's perhaps a little harsh to leave out someone who's scored one goal and set up three more in 10 top-flight appearances, but Rose at his best remains a superior player.
FW: Harry Kane
Arsenal must still be ruing the day they let Kane walk through the exit door at London Colney. The Tottenham striker spent a year with their dreaded rivals at the age of 11, before crossing the north London divide and going on to become Spurs' talisman.
The homegrown frontman has scored eight times in the Premier League so far this season and will be looking to add to his total against the Gunners, against whom he's scored six goals in six previous appearances. Alexandre Lacazette may be a fine forward, but he's simply not in Kane’s class.
