Having played in some of football’s fiercest rivalries, Michael Owen explains why the psychological battle in Sunday’s North London Derby could prove just as decisive as the tactics.
Derby Days Cut Deeper
During my playing days, I was fortunate to play in some of the biggest derbies in world football.
I played (and scored) in the Merseyside derby, El Clasico, the Manchester derby and the North East derby and those were all very, very special days in my football career.
With so many overseas players in the Premier League these days it means fewer and fewer local lads are involved on derby days but that doesn’t diminish their importance for the fans. It starts a few weeks before the game when it’s pretty much all fans can think and talk about and that demand for victory or at the very least, the demand not to lose, is definitely felt by the players.
So here we are on Premier League Matchday 27 and the biggest game of the weekend is surely the North London Derby, where Tottenham face Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
NOW READ: The Five North London Derbies That Defined the Premier League Era
A Baptism of Fire for Igor Tudor
Tottenham are in disarray once again with yet another new manager at the helm and it really will be a baptism of fire for Igor Tudor. He’s only been in place for five minutes and now has to face the team sitting top of the Premier League!
I’m clutching at straws here, but on the plus side for Spurs, having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa, they have at least had more than a week to prepare for this game and also to get one or two players back from injury. In fairness, they’ve had an incredible amount of injuries to contend with this season and the new manager will be desperately hoping he has a lot more players to select from than his predecessor did.
Arsenal Starting to Feel the Heat
By contrast, Arsenal have very few injuries to worry about and Mikel Arteta has a large and almost fully fit squad available to him. This season they’ve conceded very few goals and their defence has looked pretty much water-tight. At least that was the case prior to their 2-2 draw with bottom club Wolves on Wednesday!
Having finished as runners-up in each of the last three seasons, conceding two second-half goals against the team who are rock bottom of the league showed that as we get to the business end of the season, Arsenal are once again starting to feel the pressure.
The First 20 Minutes Will Be Crucial
As a result, I think the first twenty minutes on Sunday will be crucial. If Arsenal score early, the atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could quickly turn toxic and then I can see a comfortable win for Arteta and his men. On the other hand, if Tottenham can keep a clean sheet for the first twenty minutes or so, I expect the pressure on Arsenal to really start ramping up. They’ve dropped a lot of points in recent weeks and if Manchester City beat Newcastle United in the earlier game on Matchday 27, they could be looking over their shoulders and seeing City just two points behind.
Prediction: Arsenal to Edge It
Make no mistake, this is a huge game for Arsenal, and it’s imperative they pick up all three points. However, with a close to full squad available and assuming their confidence hasn’t been too badly damaged by successive draws, I fancy the Gunners to prove their title credentials with a 2-0 away win.
Michael Owen’s Matchday 27 Picks
- Aston Villa 2-1 Leeds United
- Brentford 1-0 Brighton
- Chelsea 2-0 Burnley
- West Ham United 2-2 Bournemouth
- Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle United
- Crystal Palace 2-0 Wolves
- Nottingham Forest 1-2 Liverpool
- Sunderland 1-0 Fulham
- Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Arsenal
- Everton 1-1 Manchester United
