Playing away from Emirates Stadium against ‘Big Six’ rivals has rarely been a fun experience for Arsenal in the last decade but the tide appears to be turning under Mikel Arteta.
In the last three years, the Spaniard has led the Gunners to wins at Chelsea and Manchester United in the league, secured shootout victories over Liverpool at Anfield (League Cup) and Wembley (Community Shield) and won an FA Cup semi-final against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Reversing our fortunes at White Hart Lane, however, has proved tougher.
Arsenal head up the Seven Sisters Road on Sunday having not recorded a victory on enemy territory since 2014 when Arteta was still on the club’s books as a player. The Spaniard played the full 90 minutes that day with the Gunners’ securing a 1-0 win thanks to Tomas Rosicky’s early strike.
In May, defeat was particularly painful. With qualification for the Champions League within our grasp, we fluffed our lines in spectacular style to hand Antonio Conte’s points that ultimately helped them finish above us.
Arteta is clearly impatient when it comes to securing that elusive victory on Sp*rs territory, but ahead of the match, he tried to put things in context.
“In the last few years there were places we haven’t won for 15, 17 or 20 years,” he noted.
“I would like to do it all at once [win against all the Big Six away]. We haven’t been able to do that, so we have a great challenge and opportunity on Sunday to get that done.
“That’s the challenge that we have. We have to beat them at their place. I think the players are in a really good emotional state.
“We are excited, we are enjoying playing together and we are in a good position. So we have to improve a lot of the things we still have to do, and we have to maintain the things that have taken us this far.”
A win would open up a 14-point gap on our neighbours and put us firmly in the driving seat when it comes to finishing in the top four this time around. A defeat ahead of a tricky run of games could be an untimely psychological blow.
With so much pressure surrounding the occasion, it’s hard to imagine anyone could enjoy it but Arteta thinks otherwise.
“I just love it – that’s the reason why we’re here, to play these kinds of games,” he said.
“It’s one of the biggest games of the season for us. We know how much it means for us right now and how much it means to our people as well. We have to focus on playing well and doing what we have to do to win the game.
“They’re emotional, very passionate, an incredible feeling when you are on that pitch and look around and see the support, tension and atmosphere around it. When you win, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“Once you are there, you realise the moment and it’s, in my opinion, one of the best things to do – actually realise how lucky we are to be in the position that we are in and having the possibility to affect the game.”
Let’s do it!!! Will be a big statement if so. Sending all our support to them!!!
That Spurs team is so shit. We should easily beat them, the only thing that’s really worrying me is the officiating. Last season.. well, we all know what happened last year, but they absolutely shafted us. And I just don’t see how Spurs can hurt us, if you nullify Kane and Son, they literally have nothing else. They have also been so slow to start recently and their second half performances have been bailing them out. I think their stadium is on the cusp of being a bit of sesspit of boo’s if we get out the blocks quickly and… Read more »
Kane man and the boy blunder won’t have the one-man walking disaster that is Cedric, a rusty Holding an unfit Tommi and an overworked Elneny this time around.
They’ll have Saliba, Zinchenko, Partey and a much more confident Ben White, Gabriel and Ramsdale to deal with.
If our boys turn up like we know they can, then there’s only going to be one winner.
Us.
Well to be fair this Kulusevski boy is quite good too.
And out injured!
Yeah he is okay, but he’s out injured… allegedly an Arsenal fan… timed it well for us, the legend
Yeh Sir Harry always gets in the refs ear early on our away derby game, watch him, he’s very clever making out they are mates then we get a dubious pen against us, he’s scored all 7 penalties ‘awarded’ against us ffs, it’s a hard job for any ref officiating this one, if we lose 3 points coz we didn’t turn up on the day i can take it, its a tough fixture we haven’t won since our little maestro scored the winner, we are top of the league for a reason, its down to us to win this one..
After Chelsea nicking Mudryk away (most likely to spite us more than anything), a win at the Lane would definitely reverse our mood. Let’s hope the referees are competent, and our boys show up.
P/S: anyone else worried about United more than City now? They’re really gaining steam and is easily back in the title mix.
Just sweep them away!
Surely that should be “flush them away”?
Remember where this is being played.
You could flush Conte away, but his toupee would keep floating back up.
Hope we win on Sunday, anything else will put our 5 point lead in jeopardy.Also I hope we get the Mudryk deal over the line.I think this kid can match and possibly surpass Martinelli and Sala.I just have a good feeling about him.
Saka*
I think you were right about Salah.
Yeh tricky, Sir Kane always gets in the ear of refs to never book him, give pens, send off our players, hopefully the ref will not be swayed but i can’t see it, can see us on the front foot from the start, need our attacking players to get early goals to shut them up
Hope so, but I think it will be far from easy given our recent record there.
Come on mate, give the cautious prophet of doom scene a rest, have some faith and get behind the team.
We’ve a very poor recent record at Sp*rs as we all know so a point would be something of a positive. Given Utd may give City a hard time at Old Trafford, there could be an opportunity to even stretch our lead at the top a little if things go our way.
We’ll need to keep our cool though as Sp*rs will be out to provoke us. Arteta is reportedly going to speak with the players about on-field discipline. Good timing with the game coming up on Sunday.
The past is the past. This new Arsenal will mash the spuds on Sunday.
The law of averages never fails…
The NLD in Sept 2019 at home (ARS 3-1 TOT) was perhaps my favorite match of the Arteta Era. It was the first time we saw ‘The Kids’ sweeping up and down the pitch– as they seem to do almost weekly now.
I’m confident with a healthy first XI (with Ready Eddie) is going to put on a show on Sunday. It’s time for us to put Sp*rs in our rearview for another decade.
COYG!
*Sept 2021 ~sigh~
it was Sept 2021…
It’s time for our Eddie to put a banana or two in Tottenham’s tailpipe.
👌 😉
I can see Tommy starting at left back to counter Kulu he makes them tick when on song.
No disrespect to either Tommi or Tierney, but you’ve got to give the LB berth to Zinchenko, surely?
He played well in the 3-1 victory at the Emirates.
I agree he hasn’t commented on the FA’s charges. But let’s all agree how utterly bollocks and hypocritical they are •
In many ways, whether there is an agenda against Arsenal at large here or not is irrelevant. (For the record, I happen to believe there is and it’s been going on for decades) The thing is, it’s all external shite. We have to pull up the drawbridge on all that shite, turn the Emirates into a fortress and employ a siege mentality on the road at away games. That still means we tackle hard but fair and get stuck into these teams. But as for the rest, the bullshit, we don’t take the bait. Ice cool heads. Focus. Determination. Our… Read more »
Let’s smash and humiliate the shit out of them.
COYG
Spurs are lily white cunts
I’d take a 1-0 on this one all day. NLD tend not to respect form. Seems to rather defer to the home team. This is one game we need to be switched on for 95 minutes, be patient and not concede a stupid goal or an unnecessary card. If we stay in the game long enough without conceding, I think we will beat that lot.
I’m holding out for 0-1, seeing as we’re away.
I’d take a 0.5-0 or even a 0.25-0, as long as we get three points.
What does Mikel think of sp*rs?
And what does he think of shite?