'Spurs must be licking their lips' by the numbers
Former Tottenham boss Redknapp doubts Arsenal will show up in North London Derby
HARRY REDKNAPP
Tottenham must be licking their lips thinking, "What a chance we've got now". White Hart Lane is going to be a cauldron for the North London Derby and the big question is whether Arsenal will stand up to it.
Generally, Arsenal have been a bit better against the best sides but still aren't reliable in matches when the chips are down. They were beaten home and away by Chelsea. Tottenham outplayed them at Emirates Stadium this season and Arsenal were lucky to get anything out of it.
WHAT OTHERS SAY:
THIERRY HENRY
I have never heard the Arsenal supporters as angry as they were at the Emirates on Wednesday night when their team lost at home to Swansea.
They were less patient than I have ever known, booed one of the manager's substitutions and groaned every time a pass went astray or a tackle was lost.
The stick that Arsene Wenger has been getting is not personal. People judge what they are seeing, although some maybe go too far in the way they express their unhappiness.
But there is no smoke without fire and those flames were not started in the stands. They were lit on the pitch by the performance of the players.
PHIL THOMPSON
I know Tottenham were also beaten in midweek but Arsenal seem to really struggle to get themselves of their ruts.
People are saying Spurs are getting tired but, at the moment, I'd say they're in a better state to push Leicester City for the title.
It would be huge disappointment for Arsenal to finish below Tottenham, especially if they win the league.
They're lacking confidence in that final third, which is really affecting them and it's eating away at them.
PAUL MERSON
I think that both teams will be too scared to lose and it will be a big win if either side win.
I think it is great watching the way Spurs play at the moment and I think it is great for Arsenal as well, as it puts a lot of pressure on them, the board and everyone else that Tottenham are up there.
DAVID SEAMAN
I'm so fed up of all this negative stuff about Arsenal. All right, it's a negative about Petr Cech (being injured) but David Ospina will come in again, and he has shown what he can do.
People thought it was a little bit harsh when he got made the No. 2. He's not the quality of Cech but let's just see how it goes.
(But) we need a win, big time.
JERMAINE JENAS
In terms of league meetings, this game is perhaps the biggest North London Derby ever.
Spurs have evolved because now it is not just about this game, they are chasing something bigger.
I think that is part of the reason Arsenal fans are so frustrated, because they do not feel they have moved on and they know Tottenham have.
That is what worries them the most.
MARTIN KEOWN
It is the biggest North London Derby ever, I believe that. This season can change everything.
In my day, Tottenham were always trying to stop us winning something.
That was all that mattered to them.
We used to dismiss them.
But this is different.
If they win this game, then they could finish above Arsenal for the first time in Arsene Wenger's time in England and win the league.
Arsenal have been trying to win it for 11 or 12 years.
Tottenham can do it almost at the first attempt and if they do they won't go away.
This could be the game-changer.
JAMIE REDKNAPP
When I was at Tottenham, we had an inferiority complex about Arsenal. We knew their players were better...
It used to be our cup final when we played them. Is it the other way round now? Maybe.
Mauricio Pochettino has been an inspired appointment, one of the best decisions in the history of the Premier League.
As for Arsenal, I know what those players are thinking now and it's not nice. When you have a golden chance and it starts to slip away it just ruins you. It happened to me at Liverpool.
We were neck and neck with Manchester United but we couldn't cope.
Your head gets scrambled. You feel it slipping away, but don't know how to stop it.
You get paranoid and start to look for people to blame. The bitching starts and the back-biting... That negativity becomes contagious.
- Wire Services.
Thierry Henry has his opinions. He has not found the measurement of the fans’ angriness, of 60,000 people straight away, because he sits in the best seats in the stadium. — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Thierry Henry’s (above) claim that he had never seen Gunners fans more angry than during the 2-1 loss to Swansea
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