Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Arsenal, 2011 North London Derby: Preview
by Kevin McCauley on Oct 1, 2011 1:56 PM BST
in Tottenham Hotspur Previews
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In many years passed, the North London Derby has merely been a regular Premier League game with some extra pride on the line. Over the last five years or so, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal haven't really been competing for the same thing. Arsenal is usually firmly in Champions League places, while we're fighting of fourth or something less. This season, this would be one of the biggest fixtures of the year even if Arsenal were our second favorite team. The top three look fairly set, while Arsenal sold Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer. We're playing for the same thing.
We all know what happened last time we were in this situation. Food poisoning! Yes, we once missed out on the Champions League because of food poisoning. Just felt like reminding everyone!
Arsenal are not only without the players they sold, but also a number of injured players. Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen are out, while Laurent Koscielny will have to pass a late fitness test to make the 18. This likely leaves Alex Song in the center of defense and Emmanuel Frimpong as a defensive midfielder. Jack Wilshere is out, but at least the alternative isn't bad. Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey will start. Out wide, Theo Walcott faces a late fitness test while Gervinho is out. Injuries everywhere.
Meanwhile, all of Spurs' stars are healthy, save for Michael Dawson. Aaron Lennon and Danny Rose returned to the team in the Europa League, while Steven Pienaar is expected to come back shortly. Should Harry Redknapp magically become Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho, he'll have all kinds of tactical options to set up his team however he likes.
More than likely, Aaron Lennon is not going to start this game after starting in the Europa League. Either Luka Modric or Rafael van der Vaart is going to start on the right. Don't like it? Well...sucks for you! It's more or less a foregone conclusion. I actually like it, and I'll have another post discussing why.
For the first time in my time supporting Tottenham, we are very much the favorites in this fixture. That doesn't mean that it will be a shock if Arsenal wins, but we are actually the better team. At home, with Arsenal's sales and all of their injuries, we are the better team. I've never been able to say that in my time supporting this club, and now I can. It feels awesome.
But, it won't feel awesome unless they play like it. They have to go out and play like they know they're good enough and like they know it's a derby. And not just a derby, but a derby against our primary rivals in the table. This. Is. Fking. Huge.
I will be loud and obnoxious tomorrow morning. I will get pissed when we screw up and I will drop c-bombs in reference to Arsenal players. Not because I hate Arsenal, but because we can't afford to drop all three points in this fixture. We should win, and a draw is an absolute necessity. We can't screw this up, and - once again - for the first time EVER, I feel like we won't.
This basic preview is the first of a bunch of stuff going up today. If you're a regular 'round these parts, check the front page a couple more times today. If you're not, DO THE EXACT SAME THING. Oh, and join the site! The game thread tomorrow should be incredible.
COYS.
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tv
do you guys have any idea where i can watch this in the US
LeSean McCoy is the best thing to hit Philadelphia since Ben Franklin
Fox Soccer Channel
11am Eastern
Editor of SBNation's Tottenham Hotspur blog: Cartilage Free Captain
Follow me on twitter @BryanAshlock
by Bryan Ashlock on Oct 1, 2011 2:31 PM BST up reply actions
It’s on at 2pm central, I believe. I looked up the listings. Might want to check to see if it’s running at that time for you, but it should be on non-cable TV tomorrow. It would be nice if they bothered to play it live, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.
heart of a champion, will of the warrior.
Kevin!
Find wood, knock said wood
Writer for www.cartilagefreecaptain.com
follow me on twitter @theroosevelts
by theroosevelts on Oct 1, 2011 3:01 PM BST via mobile reply actions
CAN'T WAIT
VLAD CLUTCH CITY
Monta Ellis: no longer the anticlutch since 1/19/11
Official Sponsor of We Believe
Kenny Daglish should never complain about the officiating in the league EVER AGAIN after that.
Shambolic.
Official Cartilage Free Captain Poet Laureate
General Secretary of the CFC Commentariat Committee
Follow me at @dustingm or visit my dad-blog at mennodaddy.com
What in fact was the King's verdict on the red?
Didn’t see it apparently. And there was me thinking that he was some kind of human Hawkeye after his bitching these past few weeks.
by Edward_Francis on Oct 1, 2011 8:09 PM BST up reply actions
terrible decision for that to be any card let alone a red.
In the same game I did like Craig Bellamy laughing when the bottle was thrown at him in the corner. Good lad. Wish we’d got him. Unlike Suarez who made a meal of it for the next corner. Dalglish defending Carrol post match was was top draw too. Thought he might nut the interviewer.
Harry's tactics
“Should Harry Redknapp magically become Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho, he’ll have all kinds of tactical options to set up his team however he likes”…
Thats not really fair is it. Seeing City struggle in the CL for example shows how well we did. Are we better than City’s team? No. But Harry set us up to make the best of what we had. Just because Harry says most tactic talk is bunk don’t mean he don’t use it. Just that he don’t spend time on the nonsense side of it.
by Spool on Oct 1, 2011 7:06 PM BST reply actions 1 recs
I'm at the Lane tomorrow..
My first Derby.. I’m buzzing!!! The only shame mobile Internet does not exist at the lane, so I can’t join in at half time for the Epic match thread. Hope it reaches 1000+ !!!!
by ElCarpet on Oct 1, 2011 11:10 PM BST via iPhone app reply actions
Lucky bastard.
Enjoy that atmosphere, mate.
Official Cartilage Free Captain Poet Laureate
General Secretary of the CFC Commentariat Committee
Follow me at @dustingm or visit my dad-blog at mennodaddy.com
New Member Here
Finally found a Spurs blog to join. Been a Tottenham fan for five years now, before they made the Champions League (for all those who think i’m a late coming glory hunter). Wake up early every weekend morning (unless i’m working) and catch the Spurs game. Anyway as for the game tomorrow, I really feel that if we play to our potential we can smash them tomorrow. As fellow fan might attest Spurs aren’t always predictable. We can go from beating Chelsea in the Carling Cup final to losing 4-1 at home to Birmingham the following week. From having a terrible start a couple years back and then with Harry’s arrival beating Bolton, drawing at Arsenal in incredible fashion, and topping it off by handing Liverpool their first loss that year.
But as like the writer in the blog I feel eerily confident about tomorrows game. Our midfield is so much better than theirs and we finally have a striker with good movement (both in the football sense and has also been known to bust into dance following goals)
3-1 Spurs
welcome to the commentariat
We only have several true rules (aside from the capitalist propaganda you were forced to accept when you joined).
1. It is always pav’s fault
2. Any mention of harry kane must be accompanied by a proper hurricane joke/reference
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If anyone wants to add more general rules and themes of CFV, please do so to help our new comrade get acclimated
Welcome
In O'Ventbrel We Trust
ALL GLORY TO THFC
VICK-VICK-VICK-VICKTORIOUS
by NJoverNY on Oct 2, 2011 1:42 AM BST via mobile up reply actions
that should be CFC, not CFV, stupid autocorrect
In O'Ventbrel We Trust
ALL GLORY TO THFC
VICK-VICK-VICK-VICKTORIOUS
by NJoverNY on Oct 2, 2011 1:43 AM BST via mobile up reply actions
Arsenal are going to man mark tomorrow
On set pieces instead of zonal marking. I don’t know, that seems like it could breed confusion for them. Reeks of panic.
It went in.
Official Cartilage Free Captain Poet Laureate
General Secretary of the CFC Commentariat Committee
Follow me at @dustingm or visit my dad-blog at mennodaddy.com
Pink Wojciech
will NOT stop ot
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
I am expecting big things from Skipjack and Lennon's Eyebrow
i.e. our new Vice Commissars for Internet Memes.
DO NOT DISAPPOINT US, COMRADES. PUTIN IS WATCHING.
<img src=“”http://i.imgur.com/YMuc1.jpg" alt=" />"/>
Official Cartilage Free Captain Poet Laureate
General Secretary of the CFC Commentariat Committee
Follow me at @dustingm or visit my dad-blog at mennodaddy.com
FAIL
Official Cartilage Free Captain Poet Laureate
General Secretary of the CFC Commentariat Committee
Follow me at @dustingm or visit my dad-blog at mennodaddy.com
Palin can see Putin, no doubt.
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
I'll be watching at a bar this morning, so no memes from me.
Skipjack, you’ll have to carry this responsibility on your own. We’re all counting on you.
by Lennon's Eyebrow on Oct 2, 2011 3:16 PM BST up reply actions
seriously, mate.
I have to wait 3 fucking hours for this bloodbath to commence???
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
Chelsea is fucking Bolton at Reebok, fucking hard
0-4 only 27 in. ’Tis on Fox Socc Plus. Bolton sucks. Fuck Chelsea.
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
boltttonnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
off to play fifa nld
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
You will win by double digits and definitely won’t concede. Arsene will also throw his water bottle.
hahaha
i wish. I did 10 minute halves, world class. 3-2 end of half for spurs. That’s how it finished!
That would be a legit result today. I came back from deficit twice.
King header, Bale, and myself (created player, ha)
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
but they did show wenger throwing his waterbottle
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
ARISE COMMENTARIAT
Today we seize glory. No time for foolish nonsense, today is a great day. ITS NORTH LONDON DERBY DAY
In O'Ventbrel We Trust
ALL GLORY TO THFC
VICK-VICK-VICK-VICKTORIOUS
45 minutes, can't wait
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
fulham in first 90 seconds,
the other london clubs got off to hot starts. Let’s hope our london club can do the same thing to another, how shall we call them…. Scum??? london club
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
wait... what... King?
is a doubt for us?
"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing." - Bill Nicholson
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