‘More mature’: Spurs admit Arsenal’s mentality made the difference in derby

Tottenham’s players have highlighted the mentality of Arsenal as the difference between the clubs. Dejan Kulusevski and Micky van de Ven poured out their frustrations after Sunday’s 3-2 home defeat in the derby, lamenting the softness of the concessions, in particular.

Two of Arsenal’s goals came on corners – one a Pierre-Emile Højbjerg own goal, the other a free header for Kai Havertz. It is an area of increasing concern for Spurs. They have conceded six times from corners in the past nine games and their record of 14 goals against from set pieces (excluding penalties) is the joint fifth-worst in the Premier League. Arsenal have scored a division-high 22 set-piece goals (excluding penalties).

Kulusevski and Van de Ven do not believe there is a gap between Tottenham and Arsenal in terms of ability. Spurs hogged 62% of the ball and had 15 shots to Arsenal’s nine, which included a handful of near misses. But in the crunch moments, it was Arsenal – who led 3-0 at half-time – who showed the strength and focus.

“They are much more disciplined and a little bit more mature,” Kulusevski said. “That is where we are lacking at the moment. What do I mean by that? They score on corners. We concede. It is quite easy. It is being strong in difficult moments like a set piece.” Kulusevski was asked whether that had been the gist of the message from the Spurs manager, Ange Postecoglou, afterwards. “Yes,” he replied.

“It [mentality] is all in life,” Kulusevski said. “That is the only thing that matters – the head. You can be how good you want in football but you’ve got to be strong in every situation. Arsenal have obviously done that in the last period. They fight to win the league. We still have to do that. We are improving in other