Spurs will be very flat after losing 2-0 to Portsmouth in extra time.
If Arsenal had played on Sunday it would be more of a 50-50 game.
But Wenger’s side have had eight days to prepare and will be able to outrun Spurs over 90 minutes, especially in the last 20. They should out-pass them as well.
Theo Walcott should start, rather than Eboue. Walcott can help to win the game by pinning Gareth Bale back, by zooming past Ledley King. Later on, maybe, Eboue can help to keep it won. Van Persie can come on and give Arsenal 25 minutes and a goal threat. He can fire a couple of rockets and scare the crowd.
Frankly, I can see the game being over by the time Van Persie comes on. If Arsenal score early they’ll walk it.
Spurs will miss Palacios enormously because his mobility covers the raids of the flying Bale. Without Palacios, with Jenas and Lennon still out, Harry might start 4-5-1 at home, try to play his way into the game, keeping Defoe on the bench. The longer it goes without an Arsenal goal, the more the crowd will get behind Tottenham.
Modric is lively and creative and could be used behind Crouch, looking for a long pass from the static Huddlestone. If it was me, I’d play Bale, my best player, in midfield to compensate for the absence of Palacios. Use Assou-Ekotto at left back. Younes Kaboul is fit and fresh, as he was cup-tied on Sunday.
I’m not into the tribal aspect, the rivalry, as you know by now. I’ve had a lot of good times at White Hart Lane, it’s been a big part of my life. Some of my friends are Spurs fans but I don’t wind them up. I’m not into winding people up. Arsenal is a superior club and has better players and Spurs haven’t won the league since 1961. Everybody knows that. There’s no point in being mean about it.
I’ve seen loads of these derbies but only as a journalist, never as a punter.
Because I could never get a ticket. I remember three derbies vividly. The first was when Spurs won 5-0 on A pril 4, 1983. Chris Hughton scored two goals from left back and I was in the press lounge afterwards and Frank McLintock came in behind a torrent of obscenities. Frank had been doing radio and he was saying all the things he could not say on air. Furious doesn’t describe how angry the passionate Scot was at that moment.
Then I remember the Littlewoods Cup semi-final replay in 1987, the game that got Arsenal to George Graham’s first Wembley final. Steve Williams was suspended from the semi-final and if Arsenal lost he could not do anything about it. He was suffering and relying on his teammates to get him to Wembley. And when the final whistle went, Steve was ecstatic. He was sitting just in front of the press box in a black leather coat and he jumped to his feet and ran onto the pitch.
In the final against Liverpool, Steve Williams was the best player on that Wembley pitch and George won a trophy in his first season to start the modern era of Arsenal’s success. Liverpool were the team to beat in 1987 and Arsenal beat them 2-1.
The other Arsenal game at the Lane that stands out was when George was managing Spurs and he played a high line and Arsenal gave a phenomenal demonstration of stylish, dynamic counter-attacking, slicing Spurs to shreds and winning 3-1. Bergkamp, Overmars and Anelka were electric that night, very penetrating.
“Quality on the break,” said George, succinct as ever.
Chelsea’s handballs were amazing last night.
The league leaders didn’t play well, apart from the lively Zhirkov, until Joe Cole and Malouda came on.
Drogba was poor but he crossed one ball that Anelka headed in from three yards.
John Terry produced his trademark handball on a right wing cross. JT leaned down and across and blocked the ball with his left arm and got away with it.
Second half, Bolton put the ball into the box and Drogba stuck out his left arm and stopped the ball with his forearm, as a striker sometimes does at the other end. Not in your own box, Didier!!!! The most blatant handball of this calendar year. Not given.
The Big Four get all the calls. I’ve said that for three years.
It’s not fair, it’s not sporting, it’s disgraceful, it’s ruining the Premier League, which, by the way, has sunk to a lower standard than we have ever seen.
And the refs have sunk with it. Why does it happen so often? Because the refs are scared of the big managers. And the refs want the biggest games. They want to referee Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, so they give them all the decisions. That’s the only way I can explain why they favour the Big Four so much, so often. With Liverpool dropping out of the Big Four, it will be interesting to see how many calls they get next season.
So Chelsea beat Bolton 1-0 to go six points clear.
If Spurs beat Arsenal 1-0 tonight, the title race is as good as over. If it’s a draw, same thing.
But I reckon Arsenal are hot, hot favourites.
We usually say that anything can happen in a derby. Not tonight, Josephine.