Leandro Trossard did not just help tear Tottenham apart. After Arsenal’s 4-1 win at the Emirates, he also lifted the lid on how comfortable this team now feels when opponents turn up with a back five and a low block.
Spurs tried to shut the game down with a 5-2-2-1 shape, but it only invited pressure. Arsenal created chances, scored four, and could have had more. Speaking to Stadium Astro after the match, Trossard summed it up bluntly: “It’s still Spurs, but we’ve been facing back 5 a lot this season, we are used to it. We could’ve scored even more.”
Leandro Trossard on Spurs defensive approach:
“It’s still Spurs, but we’ve been facing back 5 a lot this season, we are used to it.
We could’ve scored even more!” [Stadium Astro] pic.twitter.com/GuLRvP52pA
— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) November 24, 2025
For Tottenham fans, it was a painful reminder of how timid their side looked. For Arsenal, it was a statement that this attack now expects to slice through defensive game plans that used to frustrate them.
Leandro Trossard on Spurs defensive approach after derby rout
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The context of Trossard’s quote makes it even more pointed. Thomas Frank abandoned his usual set-up and went with a back five in his first north London derby, hoping to contain Mikel Arteta’s side. Instead, Tottenham reached half-time 2-0 down without registering a single shot.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring in the first half, his effort taking a big deflection off Micky van de Ven. Minutes later, Eberechi Eze doubled the lead, again via the Spurs defender. By the time Arsenal added a third just after the restart and later made it four, the visitors were hanging on.
Asked about Spurs’ defensive approach, Trossard’s response was almost casual. “It’s still Spurs,” he said, underlining that Arsenal saw nothing especially new. A back five did not surprise them because “we’ve been facing back 5 a lot this season” and are “used to it”. In other words, this was just another low block to pick apart.
“We could’ve scored even more” – inside Arsenal’s attacking mindset
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The most striking part of Trossard’s comment was the punchline: “We could’ve scored even more” after a 4-1 derby win, that might sound like bravado, but the numbers back him up.
Arsenal finished with 17 shots to Spurs’ three and eight efforts on target to two. Their expected goals total was far higher than Tottenham’s meagre 0.07 xG, a reflection of how many good positions they created in and around the box.
Eze walked away with the match ball after a hat-trick, but Trossard was heavily involved throughout. The Belgian got Arsenal going with the opener and remained a constant threat between the lines and in the box. When he says they could have scored more, it speaks to an attack that felt in control of the game from early on.
Leandro Trossard on facing back 5 this season
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Trossard’s reference to facing back fives “a lot this season” is revealing. Arsenal are now used to teams rolling up with extra defenders, banking on numbers in their own box to slow the game down. For this squad, it has become a standard challenge rather than a puzzle.
That familiarity showed against Spurs. The movement of Arsenal’s front line dragged defenders out of shape, while Eze and Trossard found pockets of space between the lines. Even with Tottenham crowding their own penalty area, the home side were able to create shooting lanes and force deflections that turned into goals.
When a forward talks about being “used to it”, it suggests patterns and automatisms are in place. Arsenal know how to switch play, overload one side and exploit gaps when a back five shuffles across. Tottenham intended to frustrate; instead, they were pulled apart by a side that trains every week for exactly this type of resistance.
What Trossard’s verdict tells us about Tottenham tactics
From a Spurs perspective, Trossard’s words sting because they underline how predictable the plan looked. Frank’s switch to a back five was meant to be a curveball. To Arsenal, it felt like just another familiar shape to dismantle.
Tottenham’s inability to offer any threat of their own only made things worse. With no shots in the first half and just three in total, they gave Arteta’s side no reason to adjust or worry about space in behind. Arsenal could commit bodies forward, knowing Spurs lacked the belief and structure to punish them on the break.
Trossard’s calm dismissal of the approach, “it’s still Spurs,” says as much about Tottenham as it does about Arsenal’s confidence. Right now, opponents expect Frank’s men to sit deep and absorb, rather than seize control.
For Arsenal, this is a sign of how far they have come. Their forwards now talk about back fives as routine work.
Related Items:Latest Leandro Trossard News | Transfer News | Injury News and Update, Tottenham Hotspur
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