Tottenham V Arsenal – Play Off Final – Preview

After 29 F.A Academy League fixtures – including 24 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats – Steve Bould’s all conquering Under 18’s face North London rivals Tottenham Hotspurtomorrow afternoon to decide who claims the prize of League Champions.

40 teams kicked off the season in 4 groups of 10, with each group winner taking on another in two Semi-Finals. Arsenal beat Manchester City 2-1 in the first game, while Tottenham reached this stage by edging out Sunderland. It truly is a fantastic final in prospect, and if the two previous meetings this season are anything to go by, it promises to be an exhibition of youth football.

Arsenal’s 3-1 win in the F.A Youth Cup will still be hurting Tottenham after they led and seemed in cruise control until a second half fight back pegged back Alex Ingelthorpe’s outfit. Yet they earned some respect by gaining a draw from the League fixture towards the end of the campaign. So it’s 1-1 with the biggest game to come.

Steve Bould called for his team to show their character ahead of kick off, and in midfield duo Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin the Gunners certainly have a driving force to offer that. In other team news, Rhys Murphy and Conor Henderson have proved their fitness and will be in contention to play, they’ll be joined by Benik Afobe and Luke Freeman who have returned from International duty.

It should be the usual XI which saw Bould’s boys shoot out of the traps and into a massive lead in group A before the Under 16’s came in later on, meaning Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will skipper the side in an attacking line up. Gilles Sunu could drop back now Murphy is back on form, while Luke Freeman could come in if one or the other is benched.

Predicted Starting XI

Shea
Eastmond – Bartley – Ayling – Cruise
Frimpong – Coquelin
Sunu – Thomas – Watt
Murphy

Prediction – Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham

Kick off is at 4pm UK time at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane. There is no live steaming of this fixture, but Tickets are avaliaible on the gate and are priced at £5.00 for adults and £1.00 for Concessions. A full Match Report will be published shortly after the full time whistle with reaction and analysis to follow.

Article By – J.Sanderson

42 thoughts on “Tottenham V Arsenal – Play Off Final – Preview

  • May 17, 2009 at 11:43 am
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    Why would a final be at one of the competitors stadia?? Seems a bit unfair!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 12:52 pm
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    WHY IS THERE NO STREAMING????????? of the final??

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  • May 17, 2009 at 1:12 pm
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    Why isn’t wilshere playing? Is he in the squad?

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  • May 17, 2009 at 1:20 pm
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    There is no Wilshere because he is injured. There is no streaming because none of the channels deemed this matcg worthy enough to be broadcast.

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  • May 17, 2009 at 1:36 pm
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    What about henri lansbury is he playing? I know he got injured for scunthorpe but it was not a serious injury

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  • May 17, 2009 at 2:26 pm
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    john- scunthorpe have 1 more game this season, i assume he’d stay for it. promotion is no small ordeal to be fighting for.

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  • May 17, 2009 at 2:29 pm
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    Why is the match the White Hart Lane?!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 2:57 pm
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    For me it’s strange too that the final game will be played there and it’s only one leg. It should be like in the Youth Cup!
    How long Henri’s going to be injured? Is there any chance he can play in the YouthCup final at emirates or anfield?

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  • May 17, 2009 at 3:00 pm
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    Henri lanbsbury is playin but i just wish arsenal will try to start him in centrak midfield where hes so good. He really is like steven gerrard. I really do rate him highly i think he could break into the first team

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  • May 17, 2009 at 3:48 pm
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    AFC on top & probably should be in front.

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  • May 17, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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    1-0 Rhys murphy scored. Nah my mate there hes telling me arsenal are dominating with chances and possesion. We are just not finishing them off

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  • May 17, 2009 at 4:12 pm
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    There are links on tottenhamhotspur.com… if you can bare being on that hideous site.

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  • May 17, 2009 at 4:13 pm
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    Updates I meant… doh

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  • May 17, 2009 at 4:32 pm
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    ayling off (second yellow)

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  • May 17, 2009 at 4:33 pm
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    Ayling sent off! Second yellow 72 min.

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  • May 17, 2009 at 4:49 pm
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    Ayling red card! Second yellow

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  • May 17, 2009 at 5:00 pm
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    we won 1-0 eventually, after dominating the game even without Ayling (red-carded) for the last 20 minutes… congratz to the boys!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 5:04 pm
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    1-0 Fulltime… Yes !! dunnit

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  • May 17, 2009 at 5:08 pm
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    wupiii I`m so happy about this win :D would love to see Bould as our new first team manager ;)

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  • May 17, 2009 at 5:19 pm
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    So now we can once again sing…

    We won the league!
    We won the league!,
    At White Hart Lane!
    At White Hart Lane!,
    We won the league at White Hart Lane,
    We won the league at the s*it-hole,
    We won the league at White Hart Lane!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 5:32 pm
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    its fantastic gunners! yeh we won it at white hart lane!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 6:12 pm
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    highlights? post em as soon as anyone gets em!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 6:29 pm
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    JET was brilliant, so was Lansbury. Sunu had some brilliant touches in the game and worked really hard. Murphy obviously scored and gave the CBs grief all game long. Frimpong and Coquelin were their usual brilliant selves. Bartley put in some crunching tackles and didn’t give the opposing strikers anything. Ayling did really well aswell. Such a same about the red card. I really didn’t think he deserved the first yellow. I hope he can play in the second leg of the youth cup. Cruise barely had anything to do and he still put in a solid performance. Eastmond had that Townsend kid in his pocket for the whole game. I think they figured that that would be our weaker side. They were wrong!

    Watt came on and did really well. Had a great shot saved. Evina came in for injured Cruise and looked very impressive going forward. Henderson looks like a very classy player; had some lovely touches and very composed on the ball.

    Everyone did brilliantly. Hopefully they’ll go on and do the Double now!!!

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  • May 17, 2009 at 9:44 pm
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    Good looks one and all. Come on you young gunners!

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  • May 18, 2009 at 6:07 am
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    Oh Jamie, how do you rate Kyle Bartley, Lansbury & Coquelin? Do you think they will make the break through to toe C.C squad and first team possibly?

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  • May 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm
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    Feel this site is a place for people who support wenger s youth policy and believe in the potential. After todays speculation and shareholdes meeting the storm in the glass is making me nervous. Is there anywhere one can express support for wenger? Petition or something on the web? Probably just tactical play but was on tv not newspaper

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  • May 18, 2009 at 12:14 pm
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    Wenger knows and I stand by that.

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  • May 18, 2009 at 1:33 pm
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    The scary thing is what’s going to happen with the likes of Lansbury, Merida, JET, Frimpong, Bartley, even Ramsey and the others in the coming generation(Wilshere probably safe), should Wenger leave. Will they still be here if the next manager decides to buy some “world-class” experience?

    I would very much like to see this up and coming generation of englishmen become the spine of a future side. Think this is what we’re lacking at the moment. Some true gooners in the starting XI. Lansbury, Bartley or Ayling future captains.

    And last, this would be an interesting XI for CC next year:

    Szczesny
    Hoyte/Eastmond, Bartley, Ayling, Gibbs
    Ramsey, Coquelin/Frimpong, Lansbury
    Wilshere, Murphy, JET

    I think this almost all of these players have a great chance of making it at Arsenal… maybe not the right fullbacks.

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  • May 18, 2009 at 2:45 pm
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    Wenger has set up the youth programme with Brady – Bould – Banfield etc. 10 years have passed and we now have more players in England Youth teams than any club apart from perhaps ManU plus a few foreign internationals on top of that. The future wouldn’t be anywhere near as bright without Wenger in charge. I’m sure that most people realise that, particularly after this years exploits by the Youth team. Wenger knows indeed.

    Reply

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