Arsenal facing Tottenham at ‘right time’, says Mikel Arteta ahead of crucial north London derby | OneFootball

After a bruising week, can Gunners lift themselves for huge Spurs clash on Wednesday?

It has been a while since Mikel Arteta has experienced a week quite as bruising as the one just gone.

Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties by Manchester United on Sunday

Mike Egerton/PA Wire

Arteta described the penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United as a freak result and said 999 times out of 1000, Arsenal would have won.

The reality is, though, the loss was very similar to Tuesday’s defeat to Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, where Arsenal were also guilty of missing chances.

Across the two losses to Manchester United and Newcastle, the Gunners had 49 shots on goal and an xG over six - but they scored just once.

Last week really put Arsenal’s issues in front of goal to the fore, however it has been bubbling away all season.

Arteta’s side have played 31 games in all competitions and in 14 of those they have scored one goal or less.

Kai Havertz was the biggest guilty party on Sunday, somehow missing two glorious chances in the second half.

But the German was not alone, and Gabriel Jesus being carried off on a stretcher after sustaining a knee injury only makes things worse for Arteta.

Jesus will go for scans on Monday but Arteta said his injury is a “big worry”, and if the Brazilian is out for an extended period then Arsenal will surely have to enter the market for attacking reinforcements.

Gabriel Jesus is due to have scans on his knee on Monday after being the latest Arsenal forward struck down with injury

Mike Egerton/PA Wire

Jesus being absent would leave the Gunners with four fit forwards going into Wednesday’s north London derby with Tottenham.

That game now feels huge for Arsenal’s season.

They are out of the FA Cup and have a mountain to climb to reach the Carabao Cup Final.

Chasing down Liverpool in the Premier League and going deep in the Champions League are now Arsenal’s main focus.

On the face of it, after a week Arsenal have just had, the north London derby is not the game you would imagine Arteta wanting.

The mood at Spurs has shifted over the past week, with victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final easing pressure on Ange Postecoglou.

Both Arsenal and Tottenham are patched-up sides right now as they battle injuries, and neither would have wanted extra-time on Sunday.

Spurs, at least, got past Tamworth to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Arteta must now lift his players, but he is not worried about that.

“Today we will take it again and we’ll go to Wednesday,” he said. “Another opportunity for us, probably at the right time as well to get what we deserve, perform again and give our supporters what they deserve as well.”

Arteta’s belief that this is the “right time” to play Spurs could be born out of the fact Postecoglou’s side will come to attack.

Arsenal have routinely struggled this season against sides who sit deep and defend, as shown by Everton’s goalless draw at the Emirates last month.

Spurs will not do that and the north London derby is historically a game full of goals.

Postecoglou’s mentality means Arsenal should get plenty of chances in what will likely be an open game.

The question is, can they take them?