Let's silence the critics who doubt the strength of the Arsenal squad

 By Danong

Tottenham vs. Arsenal is the highlight of Premier League match day 4. The two North London sides will face off this afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Coming into this game, the Gunners will be trying to rebound from their disappointing 1-1 draw against Brighton the last time out.

However, they'll face Tottenham Hotspur, who are also coming off a disappointing 2-1 loss to Leicester; they dominated the Foxes but couldn't capitalise on it.

Us gooners usually expect to win this North London derby but not going into it with our strongest team has given the critics room to question our squad strength.

Declan Rice will serve a one-game ban for the red card he received against Brighton and Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard will be out due to injuries. On paper, the trio represents the ideal midfield for Arsenal.

Is it advantage Spurs?

Spurs are also looking to bounce back from their defeat to Leicester and they could be with Mickey Van de Ven and new signing Dominic Solanke who look like returning. Ange Postecoglou could still field a formidable team, unlike Arteta.

However, the red and white team's focus is on winning the Premier League, and they must adopt a winning mindset.

Regardless of the circumstances, they can fight for the win, demonstrate progress and silence the critics who believe the injury crisis will expose a weak squad.

That said, most Gooners have tried to come up with their strongest Arsenal team to face Spurs (maybe you could share yours in the comments area); well, here's mine:

The Arsenal defence has once again been excellent, conceding only one goal in three games; I believe we can trust it as is it is.

Jurrien Timber has provided steadiness at left-back and considering Riccardo Calafiori's injury scare on international duty, it is not worth risking the Italian and losing him to injury.

So with Raya in goal, Arsenal's back four of White, Saliba, Gabriel, and Timber should remain unchanged.

In midfield, where there is an injury crisis I would look to leverage experience to build an efficient engine room.

In an injury crisis, you stick with your most experienced players, so Partey with Jorginho in a midfield pivot might just get the job done. The two must act wisely in order to neutralise any threat that Spurs' midfield poses.

Kai Havertz shone on international duty last week in a new role; at the European Championships in the summer, German manager Julians Nagelsman used him as a striker.

In the two Nations League games during the September international break, he played as a 10.

I believe Havertz will play as a 10 against Spurs, with Trossard as a false 9, Martinelli returning to the left wing, and Saka maintaining his excellent form on the right wing.

There is a case to start Jesus or Sterling up front expecially when taking into consideration Spurs high line and these two Arsenal players' pace.

But Trossard has played this role before for Arsenal and he should be trusted to start and do something he is good at: score. Jesus and Sterling could come off the bench if required.

Raya
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber
Jorginho, Partey, Havertz
Saka, Trossard, Martinelli

With this lineup I don't see any reason why Arsenal shouldn't outwit Spurs, secure NLD bragging rights and go 5 games unbeaten against Tottenham.