High-flying Arsenal has an ideal alternative to finish its long-running winless streak at rivals Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium when the edges meet this weekend, supervisor Mikel Arteta mentioned on Friday.
Arsenal’s final profitable Premier League journey to Spurs got here in 2014, however the league chief could have cause to imagine that the run may very well be snapped on Sunday, because it comes into the match 11 factors away from its rival with 44 factors after 17 video games.
“I just love it. One of the biggest games of the season. We know what it means,” Arteta instructed reporters forward of the north London derby.
“It’s an emotional fixture, very passionate. Incredible feeling when on the pitch. You can feel the tension, the atmosphere around it.
“We have, in the last few years, won at places we’ve not won in years. We have a great opportunity on Sunday to get that one.”
However, Arteta burdened that victory was removed from a foregone conclusion, including that it was not clear what model of Tottenham would flip up for the match on Sunday.
“They approach games differently. Sometimes aggressive from the beginning,” Arteta mentioned.
“Sometimes they allow you to make the game. They have a lot of tools to cause problems. We will prepare in the best possible way and then it will be left to players to do what they have to do.”
Despite being in wonderful type, Arsenal has needed to take care of disciplinary problems with late and had been charged by the Football Association for failing to manage their gamers in a league draw with Newcastle United in addition to an FA Cup win over Oxford United.
Arteta declined to touch upon how he would talk about the difficulty together with his gamers, earlier than including: “Anything we can do to improve, we always have conversations with our players and with our staff to see what we can do better and if we have to improve our behaviour.”
The Spanish supervisor additionally supplied an replace on injured Gabriel Jesus, saying the ahead was making progress in his restoration from a surgical procedure on a knee downside however nonetheless had a protracted highway forward.
“I would like to see him back as soon as possible but I don’t think that will happen,” Arteta mentioned.