Theo Walcott claims Arsenal ‘played almost like a Jose Mourinho side’ in north London derby victory over Tottenham

Theo Walcott remarked Arsenal ‘played almost like a Jose Mourinho side’ to keep Tottenham at bay in the final stages of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.

Gabriel scored what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 64th minute with a towering header as Tottenham’s set-piece frailties were exposed once more.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side conceded the lion’s share of possession as Tottenham enjoyed 64 per cent of the ball for the contest.

The Gunners’ possession stats took a noticeable dip after Gabriel’s goal to just 32.2 per cent, emphasising the need to dig in and repel waves of desperate Tottenham attacks.

Walcott, who made nearly 400 appearances for Arsenal in his 11-year stay, instantly drew parallels between his former side’s style towards the end and the legendary Portuguese boss.

Gunners great Theo Walcott likened Arsenal’s set-up to that of a Jose Mourinho-coached side

Mourinho has his teams well-drilled and are able to function for long periods without the ball

‘It doesn’t really matter how they got it, it was a great result for Arsenal,’ Walcott told Match of the Day.

‘They showed again that they can mix it up, because they played almost like a Jose Mourinho side to see the game out.’  

Walcott also noted Arsenal employed a similar mentality during their trip to the Etihad Stadium last season when they drew 0-0 with Manchester City.

Even though it was not an entertaining affair, Walcott recognised Arteta’s side may not have got the result had they been more ‘adventurous’ in their style.

What made the result all the more impressive was that Arteta had to navigate the contest without two of his starting midfielders in Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, who missed the derby due to suspension and injury respectively.

Despite the loss of the duo, Walcott believed Arteta’s defensive set-up was so ingrained into his squad, it didn’t matter who had to step up and replace them.

‘It was exactly the same (as Manchester City) here, even though they had some important personnel out, they are so well drilled and structured that they showed it doesn’t really matter who plays, because they are all drilled the same way defensively,’ Walcott said.

‘That comes down to the work they do on the training ground. I was lucky enough to watch them in pre-season and the amount of coaching staff who are involved in each session is incredible.

Arsenal conceded the possession battle but were rarely troubled by Tottenham’s attacks

Arteta will welcome back Declan Rice for Sunday’s fixture away to Manchester City

‘It makes the players’ lives so much easier when there is that level of detail, with coaches that are literally there for each individual player.

‘As a squad, they are getting the same message drilled into them on a daily basis, so I am not surprised anymore when they can grind out a result like this.’ 

Arsenal may need to revive that Mourinho style Walcott referenced on Sunday once more when they take on City at the Etihad.

However, Arteta will be able to call on Rice once more as his suspension was just one game.

But before the Gunners turn their attention to City, they travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta in their first game of the Champions league on Thursday.