We struggled but bigger pitch will suit Tottenham

IT IS a great regret of mine that the Arsenal teams of 1998 to 2000 didn’t play Champions League games at Highbury. Playing at Wembley allowed more Arsenal fans to attend but the downside was that it felt like we didn’t have a home game for two seasons. We didn’t advance from the group stage in either season — finishing with a combined ‘home’ record of two wins, one draw and three defeats — but I see Tottenham faring better during their time at Wembley. Our game was perfectly suited to Highbury — we could make the pitch as big as possible when in possession, and smaller when the opposition had the ball. Visiting teams often struggled to cope with the tight pitch and the fans being so close in, and the talent in our squad was such that I think we could have gone deep into the competition had we played there instead of Wembley. We also played with a high line at Highbury, but the Wembley pitch was much bigger so there was a lot of space behind us — not ideal when Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and I were all in our thirties! The Wembley effect on us was clear — when we dropped down into the UEFA Cup in 2000 after Gabriel Batistuta’s Fiorentina (left) knocked us out, we reverted to playing at Highbury and got to the final. However, the expansive football Spurs play should help them. They are quite a young, fit team so the size of the pitch shouldn’t bother them. It’ll be interesting to see if they can maintain their high-pressing game on a bigger surface though. The quality of the playing surface and facilities at the new Wembley should also work in Tottenham’s favour. The old pitch was energy-sapping, while the stadium’s facilities had been surpassed by most Premier League grounds at the time. One thing to be wary of, however, is the galvanising effect playing at an iconic stadium can have on the opposition. Visitors always seemed to have an extra spring in their step when we played there — I remember seeing a young Andriy Shevchenko absolutely buzzing before our 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kiev. It is sure to be an incredible atmosphere, and Spurs need to make the swell in support work for them.