- Arsenal vs Tottenham 9:30 11/23
“North London Forever/ Whatever the weather/ These streets are our own/ And my heart/ Will leave you never/ My blood will forever/ run through the stone”- Louis Dunford “The Angel”
In 72 hours, a packed Emirates Stadium will be belting these notes with gusto, with passion, and with unprecedented love for the club that has been on break for a fortnight. It would be a lively atmosphere regardless of the opponent, but the fact that it is North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur making the long 4.9-mile journey will make the environment that much more vibrant. This will be an intense one and there is no doubt.
Let this be a fair warning, I do not care in the slightest about ‘Spuds’ and have zero intention to present them positively in anyway. This is a preview of the North London Derby from a biased fan nearly 5,000 miles away. If you want to know about the visitors, there is a passionate proper geezer, a real lemon squeezer in the mid-south that will happily get you up to date on the other team in North London.
This is about the Gunners. COYG!
—
So, the Premier League is back in action for the Gunners, and this game is a massive one to regain the momentum that may have simmered a bit since we last played. November the 8th feels like a season ago, but that was the day Arsenal drew 2-2 with Sunderland in the North of England. What a tremendous game that was. My days, what a game. On top of seeing the match live, I’ve watched it three times on replay. It truly was a captivating game. One that the Gunners could have won, but credit Sunderland, they are in the top4 for a reason.
Now, it’s top5 Tottenham on deck. No rest for the weary. I may take a friendly jab or two at the rivals because that’s what rivalries are for, but to be respectful, I’ll acknowledge Spurs and their firecracker start they had back in the beginning of the season.
In fact, let’s get the Spurs information out of the way.
-Tottenham 5 W-3L-3D 5th in PL
- Spurs have scored 19 goals and allowed 10
- Last Result: Draw with Man U 2-2
- Losses: Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa
- Last PL Win: 3-0 over Everton 10/26
Center Back and Spurs Captain Christian Romero is back from injury and will start this game. I’ve dubbed him one of three dirtiest players in the Premier League. He’s an instigator, agitator, and a villain yet somehow is also the first to cry ‘foul’ and become a victim writhing on the floor because a shirt sleeve brushed his cheek. He’s a bad personality for the sport.
It would have been better if he had missed this upcoming game from a viewer perspective because his antics ruin games. More than that–and this is on a more practical since–Arsenal will be without the big enforcer Gabriel who was injured in Brazil’s friendly match with Senegal this past week. It’s been reported that he will be out for 3-4 weeks minimum. The Brazilian Gabriel is just about the one guy on our team that can match the Argentine Romero’s bully nature. This will be interesting to watch.
Subbing in for Gabriel will be one of two youngsters: Mosquera or Hincapie. I’d like it to be Mosquera as he has just a bit more PL experience, but either choice will be subject to get needled by the pathetic behavior of Romero. Gabriel, his leadership, his tenacity, and his three goals that he’s scored against Spurs in the past will be missed.
Count on the wily Thomas Frank to crank up the clever dark art type tactics to keep this game level. I’ve been a Thomas Frank fan for over a decade and can’t wait until he coaches a team I can cheer for again.
Arsenal 8W-1L-2D 1st in PL
For Arsenal, there are no excuses. Sure, there are injuries, but that’s a problem every team must manage throughout the season; sure, those injuries are to key players: Gabriel, Gyokeres, Odegaard, Gabby Jesus, Havertz; and sure, this is a tough opponent to reopen the Premier League campaign, but there are no excuses. Never. Go and win.
Raya has been outstanding in goal. Timber and Calafiori are monsters at full back. Saliba is nearing World Class at Center Back. Zubimendi and Rice lock down the midfield and know how to score when called upon. Eze, Saka, Merino, Trossard all have enough firepower to take on defenders and set up goals. On top of this, there is a slew of firecracker talent on the bench that can make significant contributions late in the game. There is no excuse to not leave this game a winner.
Arteta will know this and hopefully the players believe this because I see no reason the Gunners shouldn’t win this 3 or 4 to 1. Other than, of course, the fact that crafty Thomas Frank is the opposing manager and he’s an expert in preventing a blowout loss.
Even with the injuries, this Arsenal side is deeper and more talented than the visitors and I will not allow there to be any built-in excuse. If we lose or draw, it’s because we failed to believe. That is the only reason.
It can be very difficult to win a North London Derby game.
LAST FIVE RESULTS
- 1/15/25 Arsenal W 2-1
- 9/15/24 ARS W 1-0
- 4/28/24 ARS W 3-2
- 9/24/23 2-2 Draw
- 1/15/23 TOT W 2-0
Well, maybe not so difficult for Arsenal in recent history. What about all time?
ALL TIME RESULTS
70 North London Derbies have been played:
- 30 Arsenal Wins
- 16 Tottenham Wins
- 24 Draws
So, 43 percent of the time the Gunners win all-time and have the won the last three competitive matches played. Maybe it’s not so difficult to win all the time, but it certainly can be.
The emotion and stakes of the game make it so.
So, who wins? Arsenal of course. Whether by three or by one the Gunners will win and move onto the next one.
Gusto, passion, and unprecedented love will be on display as top side Arsenal send Tottenham home losers once again and continue to paint North London Red.
COYG!
—
“Live Thoughts with Whit” from this game will be available near midday on Sunday if you are interested, but more importantly, watch this game. The tension will be tighter than Phillipe Petit’s tightwire back in 1974 and might even be tighter than the keesters of those watching the Frenchman walk between the Two Towers in NYC.
I can’t wait.
Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’
Whit W.