‘Spurs might have problems’: Tottenham warned about one Arsenal player ahead of NLD

Alan Smith has issued a caution to Tottenham Hotspur regarding Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard ahead of the North London Derby.

Title contenders Arsenal are all set to square up against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in what will be a must-win encounter for both teams.

The Gunners need to ensure they do not drop any more points in order to stay alive in the title race while Spurs are involved in an intense battle with Aston Villa to secure Champions League football for next season and anything less than a win will complicate things.

While it has been a great first season for Postecoglou at Spurs, he is keen on finishing it on a high by securing a top-four finish. A win over their arch-rivals will be a huge boost for the club and their fans. It will also help them in their pursuit of UCL football for next season.

As Tottenham are gearing up for this high-voltage fixture, Arsenal legend Alan Smith has issued a warning to Spurs. He believes Postecoglou’s men need to be wary of the threat Martin Odegaard poses and his vision and creativity could cause a lot of problems.

While speaking to Squawka, Alan Smith said: “Odegaard is at the heart of everything that’s been good about Arsenal lately, and most of the season to be honest. And Spurs will be talking about him, how to get tight, how to stop him making Arsenal tick. Because if he gets on the ball and starts threading those little passes through and the movement obviously off the ball is great, then Spurs might have problems. So that’s definitely an area.

“The Spurs full-backs do bomb on, and at times maybe there’ll be gaps behind for [Leandro] Trossard and [Bukayo] Saka you’d imagine. But Odegaard would be at the forefront of [Ange] Postecoglou’s thoughts going into it.”

Smith believes Odegaard could be a headache for the home team in the North London Derby. He has been the creator-in-chief for the Gunners this season. His ability to control the ball in tight spaces and thread it to his teammates to initiate attacks is what could trouble Spurs.

The Arsenal legend feels Postecoglou will be focused on how to stop Odegaard from making a big impact on the game as he prepares his team for the derby.