Dejan Kulusevski reveals main difference between Arsenal and Tottenham
Dejan Kulusevski believes Tottenham Hotspur are not far off the standard of rivals Arsenal, but believes the Gunners are more mature and disciplined than Spurs.
Arsenal beat Tottenham 3-2 in the north London derby on Sunday, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time but conceding twice after the break to set up a nervy finish.
All three of the Gunners‘ goals hit Spurs at their weak points, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s own goal and Kai Havertz’s header coming from corners and Bukayo Saka’s strike finishing a fine move at the end of a swift counter attack. Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min replied for the hosts in the second half but they couldn’t quite mount a full comeback.
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table and are now 20 points clear of Tottenham, and Kulusevski claimed post-match there are clear areas in which his side are „lacking“.
When asked about the gap between Arsenal and Spurs, Kulusevski said: „It is not [big] but they are much more disciplined and more mature. That is where we are lacking.
„They score on corners. We concede. It is quite easy. It is about being strong in difficult moments like a set piece. The second goal is too easy. A long ball from Kai to Saka and it is 2-0. We have to improve on that. You cannot concede easy goals like that.
„[Mentality] is all in life. That is the only thing that matters: the head. You can be how good you want in football, but you have got to be strong in every situation.
„Of course, Arsenal have obviously done that in the last period. They fight to win the league. We still have to do that. We are improving in other areas. We still lack a little bit in that part.“
Kulusevski added: „Talking about mentality, do you think that it is easy to be down 3-0 at half-time and then go out and play 3-2 against the ones that are first?
„That is also mentality. Second half was unbelievable. It is just that you have to show it for 90 minutes.“