Arsene Wenger can see a question about the balance of power in north London coming a mile off. The topic arises every time Arsenal play Tottenham and the Frenchman wasted no time interrupting a reporter at London Colney this morning upon the first mention of the Gunners being the dominant team for a long time.
“For 20 years,” Wenger corrected. The 67-year-old has always sought to define Arsenal’s success in grander terms than mere local bragging rights but it was easier for him to take the high ground during the two decades his team enjoyed Premier League superiority over Spurs.
That ended last season, much to the chagrin of Arsenal supporters, many of whom believe Spurs’ progression is awkwardly juxtaposed with their own apparent decline.
However, Mauricio Pochettino is yet to validate his otherwise impressive work with a trophy during three years in charge — a spell in which the Gunners have won two FA Cups and silenced longstanding concerns over their own aptitude for winning silverware.
Wenger, true to form, defined last season’s disappointment in terms of the bigger picture.
“The players were disappointed but not because they finished below Tottenham. To finish outside the top four was a big disappointment because it was the first time in the history of the Premier League that with 75 points you don’t finish in the top four.
“It was very harsh on us but people forget we won the FA Cup in a very stylish way, playing against Manchester City in the semi and Chelsea in the final. When a team are close to making the Double, usually they make it but we finished the season in a very strong way. So, overall it was a disappointment to finish outside the top four.
“[The balance of power] is a question you have to answer and the only way to answer it is on the pitch. The conclusion of people will be the comparison of the two performances on Saturday. We have a good opportunity to show we are the strongest, so let’s do it.”
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Wenger is also no stranger to former players debating the character of his Arsenal team, with Lee Dixon the latest vocal critic, describing the current team as “soft”.
“Well that’s the kind of remarks you’ve had for 20 years,” he said. “I remember many people asked me in 2002 and 2003 if [Robert] Pires will be tough enough to play in the derby. These are guys who scored more goals than anybody in the derby. At the end of the day, it’s down to the quality of the game.
“We have to agree on what is tough and what is not tough. A football player has to be efficient and that counts the most. Efficiency if you’re a defender is not to make any mistakes and to win the ball. If you’re a striker, it’s to put the ball into the back of the net. Is that tough? It doesn’t matter too much — it’s how efficient you are in your game.”
The issue is, however, that Spurs appear far more efficient in their game these days and better primed to launch a sustained challenge for the Premier League title.
Wenger’s new two-year contract was agreed in the belief he was best-placed to lead Arsenal’s charge for major honours at home and abroad.
So the sight of a much younger manager — widely regarded as a modern-age innovator — making such giant strides must be uncomfortable for the hierarchy at Emirates.
Put simply, Wenger is fighting the notion Arsenal are on the way down with their biggest rivals firmly on the way up.
A win on Saturday would help Wenger redress the balance somewhat and reduce the gap between the two sides to one point but, once again, he cited the need to make up lost ground in the wider context of the top four as opposed to a battle for north London supremacy.
“It’s one of the fixtures that is very important for us and that we want to win, basically as well because in the Premier League table we have to make some ground up with the top teams,” he said.
“At home we have been very strong and our home strength will certainly be vital in deciding where we will finish in the table at the end of the season.
“It’s always a fierce derby. You have to keep your nerves, focus on the game and have full commitment while being lucid and calm enough to focus on the game.”
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