Arteta looking for the edge in big derby clash
Mikel Arteta will be looking to channel memorable north London derby victories as a player to win his first game against Tottenham as Arsenal manager.
The Spaniard has lost his previous two games against Spurs since taking charge at the Emirates in December 2019.
Both have been played across north London at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Arsenal play host to their neighbours this time around.
Arteta competed in nine derby clashes against Spurs during his five-year stint in the Arsenal midfield – losing only twice.
He recalled some of his favourite experiences from the fixture, selecting a 5-2 comeback win in February 2012 as his highlight.
“I played in some magnificent derbies because we won some beautiful games against them,” he said.
“The most important one was probably at the Emirates when we made a huge comeback after going down.
“I remember the atmosphere that day was rocking, and just feeling that the fans were so happy was emotional.”
Arteta admits it was painful to lose his two first meetings with Spurs as a boss, but is keen to change that this time out.
Asked if it hurts to have been defeated in both derbies to date, the 38-year-old replied: “Yes. We have played twice, they have been really tight games decided by some small details, but hopefully we can change that on Sunday.”
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho said he now has full trust in his entire squad.
Mourinho made seven changes to his side for Thursday’s Europa League clash with Dinamo Zagreb in order to give the likes of Gareth Bale, Sergio Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Toby Alderweireld a rest.
“The reason why we changed seven players from the last match was because I trust all the guys,” he said.
“The last time I did this, we lost against Antwerp and everybody was killing me. And rightly so, because I made these decisions, but in that match I felt a little let down by attitude and it was a moment where not everybody was working well and hard and trying to play.
“I change seven in a very important match and I did it because of trust. I didn’t change 11 because I didn’t want to give the team a feeling of I’m gambling, as I could have.”