EPL: Koscielny versus Kane

As long as the hip isn't broken, Laurent Koscielny can fix Arsenal.

The crocked defender doesn't need to swivel like Elvis, but he must start against Tottenham to avoid turning the Emirates into Heartbreak Hotel.

He was the missing link in the brutal beating at Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. He is Arsenal's best defence against the onrushing battering ram.

Harry Kane can kill the Gunners tomorrow. His tall rangy frame allows him to play the Monster to Mauricio Pochettino's Frankenstein, spearheading Tottenham's template.

They play fast and loose, sustaining a high-pressing game until Kane cuts down opponents.

His fine finish against Anderlecht in the Europa League yesterday morning (Singapore time) was his fifth in three games, making a mockery of the premature criticism. Rumours of his demise had of course been greatly exaggerated.

Like Robert Lewandowski at Bayern, Kane profits from his manager's intense emphasis on transitional play, turning possession into penetration before retreating defenders can regroup.

Tottenham can't rival Bayern's quality, but there are distinct echoes of Pep Guardiola's philosophy, a system built on quick turnovers and swift deliveries to the men who matter; men like Kane.

Pochettino keeps a paternal eye on the 22-year-old Englishman, polishing his prized possession with the care and attention of an ageing assassin putting his beloved rifle together.

DEADLY

Kane didn't feature heavily against Anderlecht but, when he was called upon, his aim and execution were firm and true. Pochettino's high-pressing game demands significant returns from an economy of effort.

Kane usually delivers.

With each goal, the striker resembles a perfectly formed finisher designed in a laboratory by men with clipboards punching in the ideal height, weight, speed and agility to achieve an unstoppable scoring machine.

When Arsenal faced similar opponents with the same objectives in midweek, they fished the ball out of their own net five times.

Twenty-five points from 11 games make for impressive Premier League reading, but the Gunners weaved a darker tale in Europe. Three defeats in four Champions League fixtures told part of the story. Bayern filled in the blanks.

A high-pressing game doesn't just hurt Arsenal. It haunts them. The lack of pace between the centre-backs leaves them spinning like a carousel as opposing thoroughbreds canter through the middle.

Koscielny's absence was keenly felt in Munich. He felt a twinge in the hip before the game. His manager must have felt heart palpitations after.

Arsene Wenger gambled on his defensive selections and failed. He spared Koscielny and spoiled the German side.

Mathieu Debuchy picked the wrong night to endure one his worst performances, underscoring the incomparable value of Hector Bellerin at right back. Bellerin won't recover for the London Derby, but Koscielny must.

Without his regular partner in defence, Gabriel wandered around Munich like a little boy lost. His positioning was poor and his offside decision-making amateurish, springing traps with the finesse of a blindfolded animal poacher.

Alongside Gabriel, Per Mertesacker again confused stature with statuesque, a legend whose legs have run away from him.

Bayern blew away Arsenal's silverware credentials, highlighting the porous defending that continues to undermine the attacking panache.

Tottenham did the same last season, when Kane's double at White Hart Lane snared derby-day honours. Faster and fitter this time round, Spurs prey on precisely the kind of artistic dawdling that can inhibit Arsenal's game.

The Gunners can be the football equivalent of an impressionist painter standing over his canvas, holding his brush in the air and debating for three hours which shade of red to use. In the meantime, Kane has smashed the canvas, snapped the brushes and nipped off with the paint pot.

The Arsenal faithful can only wonder what they could be with such an incisive scalpel in their forward line. They'll get an idea if Koscielny doesn't feature.

Backed by Christian Eriksen and outstanding Dele Alli, Kane's already set for an inevitable sale to the highest bidder next summer.

He's too good for Tottenham and too good for the bruised back four that fell in Munich. It's a mismatch without Koscielny, a human mallet against raw meat.

Of course, history favours Arsenal. They haven't lost at home to Tottenham for five years.

But if that record is to continue, the Gunners' best centre back must overcome his injury. Besides, Koscielny's hip won't bother him if he can keep a grip on Kane.

npsports@sph.com.sg

ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM (Tomorrow, 11.55pm, Singtel TV Ch 102 & StarHub TV Ch 227)

This article was first published on Nov 7, 2015.
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