For most of the Premier League era, Arsenal fans have enjoyed the North London derby a lot more than their Tottenham counterparts.
This is especially so in the Wenger years: it all started in November 1996 when Arsene Wenger took charge of his first North London derby and triumphed 3-0 against a Gerry Francis side. Before the win, Arsenal had not beaten its neighbour in over three years; indeed, Tottenham was unbeaten at Highbury since September 1991.
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The Frenchman’s concept of growing a team, of developing starlets together into a unit that could mature had the acknowledgement of his rivals, from Alex Ferguson to Sam Allardyce.
The English media showered praise on the Frenchman’s meticulous preparation and knack of adding the right players to his jigsaw.
- It’s the day when Arsenal fans celebrate the fact that Tottenham can no longer catch Arsenal in the league. By its very nature, it’s not a fixed day, but “a movable feast”, as usually occurs late in the season — March, April or May.
- Since it’s an expression of bragging rights designed by Arsenal fans, it is despised by Spurs fans. The ‘celebration’ is a relatively recent phenomenon. Many credit the Arse Web site for the idea, and it was only picked up by the mainstream media in 2010.
- The 2016-17 season was the first since 1995 when Tottenham finished above Arsenal: Spurs fans rejoiced, many claiming that a curse has been broken.
- Historically, of all the times both Arsenal and Tottenham have been in the top flight, Arsenal has finished higher 51 times, Spurs 28.
By the turn of the century, Wenger had assembled a squad of real substance and confidence.
A team that had Thierry Henry in his prime leading the charge, with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, and Nwankwo Kanu buzzing around the pitch, won many admirers.
On the other side, Tottenham struggled to find someone who could out-think Wenger. The Spurs management sacked three managers, including former Arsenal man George Graham, and two caretakers before zeroing in on Glen Hoddle to tackle the Frenchman during that period. But the script remained the same as Hoddle had to leave after two seasons of disappointing results.
New manager Martin Jol’s first showdown with Wenger produced a classic derby which Arsenal won 5-4 at White Hart Lane. The Dutchman was unable to beat the Frenchman despite facing him more times than any other Spurs boss.
Harry Redknapp, who took over from Juande Ramos in October 2008 with the team at the foot of the table (two points from eight games), lifted it to a fourth-place finish in 2009-10 and a Champions League campaign the following season.
The talk of a power shift first emerged during the Englishman’s reign. Starting with an epic 4-4 draw at the Emirates Stadium, Redknapp enjoyed more success over Wenger than any other Spurs manager, winning three matches against the Frenchman. The squad had a brilliant first half but a late season collapse saw it finish one point below Arsenal in 2012. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy sacked Redknapp for the disastrous finish, which culminated in Tottenham missing out on Champions League qualification.
After two seasons of disappointment with Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, Levy managed to find the right person in Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine has been doing what Wenger did during the last decade.
Young, ideally British, talents with potential resale value have been made a priority. Academy talents with lots of potential have been promoted to first team. Harry Kane, Deli Alli, Harry Winks and Danny Rose have made the first team under Pochettino.
Spurs did resemble an Arsenal team from previous years, Victor Wanyama, in particular, dominating the midfield like Vieira did in his pomp.
Under Pochettino, the team is a really happy unit playing the game and enjoying it.
When Wenger was questioned about the power shift after the derby defeat in April this year, he replied: “You cannot say the weight of one year has the weight of 20.”
It is true, but this was coming for a while. Arsenal needed last-day victories in 2012, 2013 and 2016 to ensure that St. Totteringham’s Day happened.
Spurs have clearly been in the ascendancy of late, and talk of a power shift will only grow stronger and carry more conviction if they come up trumps on Saturday.