Arsenal, Spurs brace for North London derby

LONDON. — They didn’t fancy it. They bent the rules. They cried off. They bottled it.

When Arsenal managed to duck the North London Derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs were raging — issuing a strongly worded statement registering their disbelief at the English Premier League agreeing to the postponement.

And Spurs players, staff and management are still privately seething about it now, in the build-up to tomorrow night’s long-awaited rescheduled fixture.

After all, it wasn’t exactly a case of plague, pestilence, war or famine that provoked the postponement.

Granit Xhaka being suspended is no biblical sign of impending apocalypse. It happens every other month.

The match was called off under Covid rules, yet Arsenal had only one player — Martin Odegaard — who was positive for the virus.

Xhaka was banned, Thomas Partey, Mo Elneny, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had gone to the African Cup of Nations, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Folarin Balogun were being sent out on loan.

Yes, Mikel Arteta’s side had injuries too but everyone knows they dodged the bullet.

Arsenal were not the only club to wangle a dodgy ‘’Covid’’ postponement last winter.

There were a whole raft of them in the Championship.

But after the fixture was deliberately rescheduled late in the season by English Premier League scriptwriters, that postponement debacle provides an intriguing backdrop to probably the biggest North London Derby in a generation. A match to rival Arsenal winning the league at White Hart Lane (twice) or Gazza’s free-kick in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

Spurs were excellent in their draw at Anfield and might easily have won it.

Arsenal were unconvincing in the second half of their victory against 10-man Leeds on Sunday. Yet the Gunners are now four points clear. Victory tomorrow will end a five-year exile from the Champions League football. Defeat would leave it wide open with two to play.

To be fair, Tottenham didn’t turn up for the North London Derby at the Emirates in September, when they went 3-0 down after 34 minutes and everyone realised Nuno Dispirito Santo had had his chips.

Despite his frequent tantrums, Antonio Conte has revived their campaign since.

That draw at Anfield showcased Tottenham’s back three — the excellent Ben Davies, the revitalised Eric Dier and the future legend Cristian Romero — buying into Conte’s sadistic demands.

His favourite word is “suffer’’. If his defenders return to the dressing room without welt marks on their bodies from blocking footballs, he has them summarily horsewhipped.

Up front, Spurs head into tomorrow, with Son Heung-min ablaze, Harry Kane the highest North London Derby scorer in history and Dejan Kulusevski the highest assist-maker in the English Premier League since his January arrival.

And yet Arsenal are in the box seat, thanks to an unerring belief in a project which few of us had faith in — a rookie manager, promoting a clutch of kids and clearing out bigmoney underachievers.

Four years on from Arsene Wenger’s exit, Arsenal have a plan. Nine years on from Sir Alex Ferguson’s, Manchester United remain an unmitigated shambles.

The Gunners deserve great credit for having the self-awareness to realise how far they had fallen and recognising the need for a full-on rebuild. Clinching a Champions League place is always important.

Wenger used to parade an imaginary trophy for it every year. But it is more important for Spurs right now.

Finish fifth and Arsenal would carry on with their long-term plan, Arteta with his new contract extension; Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe so gifted that they’ve even made Status Quo sound cool at the Emirates.

But if Spurs fail to make the top four, the turbulent Conte may head for the hills and there would be the chilling prospect of another Kane summer transfer saga — as chilling for reporters as for fans, mark my words. For Arsenal to seize a place at the top table at Tottenham’s expense — without the need for any poisonous lasagne which laid low 10 players and cost Spurs a Champions League place in 2006 — would be a fine achievement. Yet they will still be crying foul play at Spurs. And, frankly, they may have a point. — The Sun