Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Preview

“It is still special for me 16 years on from
first arriving at Arsenal; maybe even more
now because, when I arrived, I was a bit more
detached from all that [surrounds it].
“The longer you stay here, the more you realise
how some houses are divided in two and what
impact it has on the mood of the week for
everybody.
“Of course I am conscious of that but what I am
even more conscious of is the magical importance
of this game.”
That was Arsène Wenger ahead of Sunday’s North
London derby.
At any level, on any day, Tottenham v Arsenal will
never be trivial.



But, in recent years, these two neighbours are lifting
the ceiling of importance. Games so memorable
you only need the score to identify them – the 5-2,
the 4-4, the 3-2, the other 5-2, the 5-1.
This fixture seems to do a weighty trade in goals
and gravitas these days. And Sunday’s game
already has the latter.
Arsenal are fifth with 47 points, Tottenham fourth
with 51. Chelsea edged into third by winning their
weekend game on Saturday but remain eminently
catchable.
As in ‘the 5-2’ this time last year, a gap in the race
for a Champions League spot (and indeed the
championship of north London which Arsenal have
held for 17 years) can be opened or closed at White
Hart Lane.
However, ahead of the game, Wenger was
suggesting the result’s eventual resonance would
be mental as much as mathematical.
“The game on Sunday will have a psychological
importance for the rest of the season,” he said.
“If you look at the mathematics, it is very
important. I’ve said many times that we cannot
afford to drop any points really.
I’m convinced that it will not be down to
Tottenham’s performance but how well we
perform.
Arsène Wenger
“However,” he went on, “it will not be a decisive
game. We want to win it and, before a game, when
you are a manager, you have to accept that you can
win, you can lose and you can draw.
“You deal with all that after the game. What you
focus on before the game is just to win. You go into
it with that mentality and that idea - how can we
win? how much have we to put in to win? Let’s
make sure we do it!
“After that, you deal with the consequences of the
game.
“And my job is to convince the players that the
result of any match is just a consequence of their
performance on the day. No matter how much you
speak before, no matter how much you speak after,
what really matters is what you produce during the
game.”
And, during his pre-match media work, Wenger was
asked to speak at length about Gareth Bale. It is
understandable. The Welshman is having a stunning
season and has been pivotal to Tottenham’s recent
victories over West Brom, Newcastle and, on
Monday night, West Ham.
However it was understandable that, despite his
admiration, the Arsenal manager did not want to be
drawn on such a significant individual threat in the
opposition.
“I’m convinced that it will not be down to
Tottenham’s performance but how well we
perform,” said Wenger.
“We play away from home in a derby. You want to
focus on your performance and be calm. You need
those two together, calm and focused, plus being
united and making sure that you express your
game. Tottenham have players that are good. We
know that before the kick-off. What will change and
what is important is that we are good on the day.”
Arsenal have only one unresolved injury issue; the
calf problem that forced off Abou Diaby against
Aston Villa last Saturday. Bacary Sagna is still out
so it is safe to assume that Carl Jenkinson will
remain at right back.
That victory means Wenger’s men now have four
wins and a draw out of their last five Premier
League; a record admitted punctured by those
defeats to Bayern and Blackburn. However the
clean-sheet at Sunderland three weeks ago means
Arsenal conceded just 11 goals in 13 away games –
the best record in the top flight.
Andre Villas-Boas seems to have had a galvanising
effect on Tottenham this season after taking over
from Harry Redknapp. They are unbeaten in 11
matches, thanks largely to Bale’s average of a goal-
a-game in the last dozen encounters, and have not
tasted defeat at White Hart Lane since November 3.
However, interestingly they had garnered seven
more points at home at an equivalent stage last
term.
Last season’s “5-2” heralded a dramatic turnaround
that saw Arsenal overturn a sizeable Tottenham
lead in the final few months of the season. Of
course, Redknapp’s men did finish in the top four
and it was only Chelsea’s Champions League win
that stopped them reaching Europe’s top table.
Although, Everton are still in the mix, you’d think it
is all about these three again and Wenger feels that
history gives his side have a slight edge.

“We have a huge desire to be in the Champions
League,” he said. “We want to be in it. We have
always done it so we want to do it again of course.
The level of our players is to be in the Champions
League. That’s why this end of season is so
important for us.

“For me it will be down to consistency,” concluded
Wenger. “We have the experience. We know how to
handle these situations. We have done that for
years and years. So, once again, it will be down to
being calm, consistent and focused.”
Once again, the level of anticipation for this derby is
sky-high.
Expect goals, drama and, quite possibly, another
game that will be known simply by its scoreline.
Team news:
Tottenham: Defoe (doubt - fitness), Dempsey
(calf), Sandro (knee), Huddlestone (knee), Kaboul
(knee).
Arsenal: Diaby (doubt - calf), Sagna (knee), Gibbs
(thigh).

My prediction : spurs 2 vs Arsenal 4

edon begin i de watch Arsenal