Michael Dawson: North London derby will ‘make or break’ Spurs and Arsenal’s seasons

Former Spurs captain Michael Dawson has told us that the looming North London derby with Arsenal will “make or break” both rival clubs’ seasons in the race for the Premier League’s top four.

Spurs are currently fourth in the Premier League table, level on points but having played two games more than Arsenal, with the North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium still to be rearranged before the end of the season.

“You’re thinking how tight is it going to be? It could come down to the North London derby, it really could,” Dawson told us. “A bit like the upcoming Manchester City and Liverpool game – will these be the points that make-or-break teams’ seasons?

“It’s a massive game, I really think it is. When you listen to Antonio (Conte) in his press conference after the West Ham game, he spoke about nine cup finals – and he’s right. Spurs probably need to win pretty much every one of them and they will need Arsenal to slip up too, as they’re in a good vein of form.

“There’s Manchester United, West Ham have had an incredible season as well, but are they going now for the Europa League after beating Sevilla? That was probably a good time for Spurs to play West Ham (before the international break) off the back of what they gave in extra-time (in the Europa League) on the Thursday. But credit to them.”

Dawson added: “Spurs went through a little dip, which every team does. You talk about consistency, but now you look at Spurs and the last few games – it’s always a massive game against West Ham anyway – but to beat them and to play the way they did and dominate the game was massive and it stands them in good stead (for the top four race).”

“It’s all about the players on the pitch performing and hopefully they can get in the Champions League,” Dawson continued. “Because you know the money that’s around that, you know the teams that are in it, and that’s where this football club wants to be – competing against the best.”

Key to Spurs’ good form of late has been the partnership between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, and Dawson has been impressed with the way Dejan Kulusevski has linked up with the duo since his arrival.

“I always think that if Spurs play well, Harry and Sonny are playing well,” Dawson said. “If you probably look at other teams, maybe someone else can come to the fore. I think Dejan Kulusevski, since he’s come in, has been magnificent with the creativity that he’s got. Rodrigo Bentancur too, both good signings from the club in January. We always know Harry and Sonny are so important to this football club and to the team and, like I said, when they play well, Spurs tend to win.”

Dawson added: “Kulusevski is a tricky player, Harry and Sonny like playing with him. He creates, he’s not the quickest, but what he can do is move the ball with his left foot beautifully. He’s been very good and hopefully he can continue in that form.

“I’ve been very impressed with the way Kulusevski and Bentancur have adapted to life at the club. With any football club, when you bring a player in, I don’t see the point of bringing a squad player in – you can go and get them from the academy or the under-23s. But when you bring a player in to go into your 1 to 11, whether it be one player or two players, you’ve got to try and improve the team, not the squad because they’ve got squad players, and those two have really done that. Lucas Moura has been out, (Oliver) Skipp has been out, so they’ve had a chance.”

Dawson also praised the recent performances of Eric Dier, who he says was unlucky to miss out on Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.

“I do think he’s been very unfortunate not to be called up to the England squad,” he said. “He’s been there, he’s played for the country, he was a big part of Gareth’s early reign, and he’ll be looking to get back in, of course he will. Every player, when you’ve been out of the squad, when you get dropped, you’ve got to get back into some form.

“But you can only control what you can control and that’s how you perform. And if he keeps doing that, time will tell. The World Cup is just around the corner and that will be his aim. One thing with Gareth is he is open to change and gives people opportunities if you are in a good vein of form. And that’s Eric at the moment, he’s just got to continue it.”

Dawson added: “I’m always a big fan of Eric. Eric signed as I was just going out the door. A great lad and I look at the way he plays, it suits him the way Antonio Conte plays with a back three. I like him in the middle of the three, he fits perfectly. He’s good on the ball, he’s played in midfield, he’s played as a four… He’s played back three for England. I do think when you do play as a three, he dictates, he plays, he’s vocal. And to play for this club you need courage, you need broad shoulders, and he’s got all of those. When he’s in the team, they’re definitely better.”

Dawson also spoke about another Spurs defender that has impressed him of late – Cristian Romero.

“He’s really starting to come into his own under Conte,” Dawson said. “He went through a bad injury playing for Argentina, but he’s come back and he’s looked incredible. He was out for a long while, but he’s hit the ground running so quick. He’s aggressive, I think the Premier League suits him, I really do. He gets in, he gets tight to players. I like him, I’m a big, big fan of his. But Spurs paid a lot of money for him so you’d expect the performances he’s putting in, but he’s not disappointed and is getting better game by game. A top, top player and a really good signing. He’s one that’s certainly impressed me.”

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