I bloody hate this fixture. People that say they look forward to it, they enjoy it, pah, I don’t believe you. Don’t get me wrong, when Arsenal have won in this fixture in the past, it is one of the great feelings of the season and particularly in an era in which, let’s be honest, they have been better than us on many occasions, the victory also tastes sweeter when it happens. But at this moment right now, at this point in time and as I tap away at my keyboard for some pre match thoughts, I have nothing but anxiety.

I am anxious about defeat. I am anxious about a bad performance. I am even anxious about a good performance that ends in a defeat. I am a nervous wreck and I always am ahead of these games. I’ve been listening to podcasts all week to see if the confidence of other Arsenal fans can help me. It hasn’t. I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all week and part of me just wants this whole weekend to be over. That’s how much it means.

And it feels like it means more today because of what is on the line. It isn’t just three points; if we lose today then there will be the usual media tropes about how we aren’t ready, about how we can’t beat the big teams, about how all our pretty football counts for nothing. There are so many media narratives ready to be trotted out by the press and I for one don’t want to have to deal with it in the aftermath of a defeat.

I should feel confident; we go in to this game playing good football, with an identity that looks clear and a style that has been working, with players who have stepped up from last season and with new additions who have improved our starting XI so very much. I should be thinking that if those players turn up and play like they have all season, then we should get the win. But playing great football and being the better team doesn’t secure you the three points. The Scum are evidence of that because they have been playing pretty average but have managed to smash and grab teams all season. They sit, they remain compact, they break on you and they take their chances with their elite forwards in Son and Kane. In Kulusevski they have an impressive playmaker forward who will cause problems for either Zinchenko or Tierney. I’m not buying that he’s injured – that all sounds like mind games because he played in both of Sweden’s Nations Cup games – so I think the Scum will be at full strength today and I think they will want a fast start to get a goal up. If they do that, then they have us right where they want us and they will just camp on the edge of their box. If we go one up then the game is still in the balance though; if you’re the away team you’re always happy to take a draw and it will bring the Scum out more, but there may be some question marks over our back line today. They will certainly be tested more than they have this season, even more than United I reckon.

Our question marks are over Partey, Tierney, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, all of which have rumoured issues but the good news is that whilst not giving anythin away yesterday, Arteta did smile and say “they are with the squad” which I think is the closest we’re going to get to an admission that all are fit. I still think there might be a doubt of Partey and if he doesn’t start then you have to worry about Son picking up those deeper balls and running at the likes of Sambi. He will need support from the likes of Xhaka and Odegaard if that does happen. If Partey is fit, however, then it is a big bonus and you’d hope he can help us to dictate the game.

And that will be key today. We have to run this game. We will have more of the ball, we are at home, the crowd will be up for it, we have to dominate play, possession, territory and take our chances. The Tottenham back line can be got at if the attacking players are ‘on it’ today. I want to see Martinelli and Saka running at their defenders, want Gabriel Jesus being a nuisance all day, I want to see us try to force errors in their back line and I want us to take our chances. That is what didn’t happen at Old Trafford and we were punished. If we do the same again today then the scum will also punish us.

Mikel’s presser was yesterday and he sounded pretty serene from what I saw and heard. He called this fixture ‘nice’, which is just mental for all of the reasons I’ve highlighted above, whilst also not giving any fuel for the Tottenham fire by criticising them, their style or Conte; he was in fact complimentary as you’d expect. But I suspect behind the four walls of the dressing room today he will be using everything in his book of tricks to talk up his team and focus their minds on the weaknesses of The Scum.

We have to start well. We have to dictate the tone of the game in the first 10 – 15 minutes. We don’t have to score all the goals in those first skirmishes (although it’d be nice if we did get two or three!) but we do have to ensure the story of the game is dictated by us. Not the Scum and their individual talents and not by referee Antony Taylor. We know he’s just as clueless as many of them and we know this fixture; Tottenham and Harry Kane in particular get penalties and there is a history of red cards in it. So our players have to be sensible and not lose their heads, or make silly tackles in our box, because Son, Kane et al WILL go down under the slightest touch. They will be looking for it and begging Taylor to give them something, almost to the extent that as I write this now, it already feels like we’re probably one goal down before we start. So we need to cut out any naivety. And hope Taylor does his job. Let’s not forget he didn’t do that in the Chelsea game by sending on Romero when the Scum skanked another result.

I’m going to leave it there for today. I need to get myself out for a run to try to diffuse some of the tension I’m feeling, then hopefully get myself into game face mode as I head over to the ground to meet Andrew for a cheeky one before we kick off.

Fingers crossed folks, fingers crossed.