Having played for Arsenal as well, Mikel Arteta knows just how important the north London derby is for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta is looking forward to yet another London derby as Arsenal manager.
Arsenal and Tottenham will face off at the Emirates stadium on Sunday for the 203rd edition of the north London derby.
Given the history that comes with this fixture, it’s always one to enjoy for club supporters and neutrals alike.
Over the years, this fixture has also produced some mouth-watering results with lots of talking points.
One of the most exciting of them came back in 2012, when Arsenal came from behind to secure a 5-2 win at the Emirates. Mikel Arteta was part of the team that day and reflects on that game as one of his best London derbies while playing for the club.
He said to the club’s website: “I played in some magnificent [north London derbies] because we won some beautiful games against them”
“The most important one was probably at the Emirates when we made a huge comeback after going down.”
“I remember the atmosphere that day was rocking, and just feeling that the fans were so happy was emotional.”
Spurs won the reverse fixture 2-0 on home turf back in December and Arteta reflects on what went wrong for his side in that game.
“The last game, we started really well, we were dominant and the first time they went over the halfway line they scored,” he added.
“That’s the quality, they are a well-organised team, a big threat in every counter-attack situation, great individuals skills and great organisation.
“You can see the team fights and believes absolutely in what the manager’s ideas are, so it will be a really tough game.”
Given their recent form, Spurs might come in as favorites for the latest clash but such fixtures blow form out of the way as we’ve seen on many occasions.
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