The north London derby is always a special occasion but tomorrow’s clash between Tottenham and Arsenal at Wembley has added significance given their league positions.
The fifth-placed hosts are four points above the Gunners in sixth, and a Spurs victory tomorrow would be a serious blow to Arsenal’s ambition of finishing in the top four of the Premier League. No surprise, then, that Arsene Wenger did his bit to liven up the pre-match hype at yesterday’s press conference.
“It’s always a game that is a bit more emotionally charged because of the importance it has for us,” admitted the Arsenal boss. “This season, if you look at the table, for us it’s a very important game.”
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Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino also bought into the build-up, telling reporters that “the derby is special for everyone and Wembley is starting to feel good”.
A spicy sub-plot to tomorrow’s lunchtime showdown is what some might describe now as ‘divegate’, the furore sparked by Spurs’ recent draw with Liverpool in which it was suggested in some quarters that Dele Alli and Harry Kane took dives in an attempt to hoodwink officials.
Wenger has had plenty to say on the issue, claiming English players were “masters” in diving, but Pochettino clearly didn’t want to be drawn into a war of words ahead of the derby.
“Today we are so sensitive,” he responded to a question about Wenger’s comments. “I like to treat the sense of football.
“Football for me is being creative, to try to not cheat but trick the opponent in a good way. Let’s not be focused on one country. I love the diversity. You can find it in England or Spain, a different type of player.”
If that was a somewhat rambling reply to a straightforward question, Pochettino offered more clarity when asked to rate tomorrow’s opponents. “Arsenal will be tough to play; they have good quality, talented players and are one of the best teams in the league,” he said. “I cannot say if they look stronger or not than they were since their new signings. We are focused on us. I don’t care.”
One of Arsenal’s new signings is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who marked his debut last week against Everton with a goal in the 5-1 win.
His former club, Borussia Dortmund, having seen his industry for his new club, couldn’t resist a dig at his poor attitude in the weeks leading up to his move to London.
Wenger came to the defence of his new striker at yesterday’s press conference, explaining that maybe after the Bundesliga’s winter break “he was not ready physically to perform at his best, but I don’t believe that he didn’t want to perform”.
Wenger hinted that he will start with both Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan against Tottenham, despite the fact they’ve only recently arrived at Arsenal.
“Once the game has started, these guys have experience, they have played top-level games,” said Wenger. “They know what is important and they know that the most important thing is to focus on the performance.”
Although Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-0 at the Emirates in November, the Gunners haven’t won the corresponding away fixture since 2014. But the fact the match is at Wembley and not White Hart Lane could work in Arsenal’s favour; they’ve won their last nine fixtures at the national stadium, including three FA Cup finals, and Wenger admitted Wembley works wonders for his boys.
“At Wembley, you play special games where you are under pressure to perform and we responded well to it every time.”
Spurs vs. Arsenal: kick-off time and TV channel
Tottenham host Arsenal in the north London derby at Wembley Stadium tomorrow at 12.30pm. The match is live on BT Sport.
