The big ones just keep on coming and after Liverpool and Chelsea both dropped points yesterday, Arsenal have an opportunity to put the rough start to 2025 behind them by going and picking up all three points against The Scum.

Strap yourselves in, boys and girls, because it’s North London Derby day. Or night.

I always say that I absolutely hate this fixture and whilst that is true, most of the time I’m talking about the away fixture on their ground, but perhaps this season it is different. Perhaps I’m suffering from recency bias because this is upon us, but I think this is a game that I hate more this season because of where we are at. For the game at the Toilet Bowl I was nervous, I hated it, but because it was still so early in the season, any defeat is easily recoverable if you go on a long run. I fear that unless we get a win tonight, we might be in a spot of bother. And that’s because of that recency bias of what has happened in the last week; I don’t need to remind you because you already know on our last two games and I’d rather forget about them. But if Arsenal want to stand any chance of catching a fallable Liverpool side, there can be no more slip ups when they do. When they dropped points at home to Fulham in December, we dropped points at home to Everton. When they had their game against Everton postponed and we had a chance to catch them on points if not games in hand, we drew to Fulham. When they drew at home to United, we drew away at Brighton. Quite simply, there have already been opportunities for us to play catch up and we haven’t taken them. Tonight represents another one and if we don’t take it, I think most of us will feel that it is just not going to be one of those season’s.

But on the eve of a North London Derby, negativity or pessimism is not the Soup de Jour. Right now, all of us, need to be manifesting as much positivity and hope as we can. I’m nervous, I will be throughout today, but I’m going to try to think as positively as possible today. Sure, we have a bit of an injury crisis, and sure, we have been firing a few blanks lately in attack, but if you take a glass half full mentality, we have been creating chances. We’ve been getting in to the positions. What we need to avoid today, if we can control the game as we have done with our last two opponents, is to make sure they don’t score with basically their only chance of the game.

In Tottenham we do have a side who do create chances though. They are some of the leading chance creators in the Premier League and that means they will get their opportunities. It’s how they play (mate). So we need to be prepared to have our hearts in our mouths at times and we will need our back four to deliver an assured performance. No silly goal kicks out, no sloppy errors, just bring the same resolute defending that we saw at The Toilet Bowl earlier in the season. And if we do that, then it is about our misfiring attack to start firing.

And our attack will get opportunities. For all that the Scum create, they also leave the pitch open, which is not what most teams do when they come to us. We see it every week usually; low blocks, deep lying defences, telling us to break them down and hitting on the counter. The Scum won’t do that. They want an open game and they will give us that. We have to be able to take advantage of that space. That’s where I think somebody like Martin Odegaard needs to be pivotal tonight. If he is given time and space to pick the right passes, he usually does it. There’s been plenty of talk about his form dipping of late, but I put that down to illness recovery more than anything else, so tonight will the real Martin Odegaard please stand up.

And will Arsenal’s forward line do the same too, please, as we will need you. If Martinelli gets space, exploit it in behind. If Kai is given time in the box by Tottenham’s makeshift back line, act on it (and bring your shooting boots). The Scum have as many injury problems as we do; they are missing Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie and Vicario. Werner comes out of the side from the weekend (although that’s no major loss) and they also don’t have Bentancur anchoring their midfield. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t without threat. They still have Sarr, Bissouma, Son, Kulusevski, Solanke and that kid Bergvall who appears to have stepped up for them. They also have Maddison for them too and they welcome back that rat bag Richarlison. So they have their attacking options and they will cause us problems. We just have to cause them more.

There’s always goals in a North London Derby, so I’m expecting to see us concede, but what I want t o see more is an Arsenal team coming to make a point. The confidence may have been hit over the last couple of games, but as Arteta said this game might be a perfect time for the team. The Arsenal players will be massively up for this. They will give everything, I am sure, so motivation won’t be an issue. We just have to hope that some of those players in red and white put the ball in the back of the net a few times. Their net, not ours!

Right, I’m going to leave it there for today. Off to work to spend the day thinking about tonight. Catch you marvellous humans tomorrow and hopefully tomorrow we are singing the loudest in North London.

Fingers crossed folks.