Tim Sherwood has admitted that he would have Eric Dier ahead of Ben White in a combined Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur starting XI.
The former Spurs player and manager famously didn’t include any Arsenal players when asked the same question ahead of the North London Derby in December 2018 – a decision that later came back to bite him as Arsenal defeated Spurs 4-2 at the Emirates under Unai Emery.
Now that the first North London Derby of the season is just two days away, Sherwood has had another go at attempting a combined Spurs and Arsenal side.
Whilst he has been a fair bit kinder to the Gunners on this occasion, the decision to pick Dier over Arsenal’s new £50million signing is fairly surprising.
“A couple years ago I was asked this and there were no Arsenal players in it. That would change now, it has to,” he told MyBettingSites.
“I’d still have Lloris in goal because I don’t think Ramsdale’s done enough yet and I definitely wouldn’t have Leno.
“Right-back, the way he’s started the season, I’d have Tanganga instead of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
“There’s not a lot to choose from the centre-backs; Dier I’d select and let’s put Gabriel in there, in my opinion Ben White hasn’t done enough yet.”
Whilst White ’s omission is likely to upset some Arsenal fans, Sherwood wasn’t at all bias when naming the rest of the team.
He continued by explaining that Kieran Tierney is a no-brainer at left-back, whilst he would opt to have a midfield of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka in front of them – primarily to help fit the 20-year-old star in.
He then opted for a superstar front-three in Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After somewhat mixed starts to the season for both Arsenal and Spurs, Mikel Arteta and Nuno Espirito Santo will both be looking to get a much-needed three points to really help kick-start their season.
