Kings of north London: Wenger (left) says Spurs
have a long way to go before they can consider themselves on a par
with Arsenal
Their accents are as different as chalk and cheese but
when they speak it is worth listening. Two of the old grand masters
of football — and both know the right way to play — Arsene Wenger
and Harry Redknapp are thoroughly engaging company, especially when
there is much to play for.
Yesterday, it was Wenger who took the upper ground. After all,
his
Arsenal team have been lording it over
Tottenham for some time.
It is 19 games since they lost a league derby and Wenger, though
admiring Spurs’ progress, considers them as an annoying local
problem rather than full-blown rivals.
In comments Wenger knows will hurt the raiders from up the road
— they may also be pinned up in Redknapp’s dressing room before
today’s lunchtime kick-off — Wenger slapped down claims from the
Spurs camp that they deserve to be taken seriously.
‘If you look at success, historically, they [Tottenham]
have a lot of work to do,’ said Wenger. ‘We have been 12
consecutive years in the Champions League, so once they have done
that they can say, of course, that they are similar.’
Wenger’s comments come after Spurs captain Robbie Keane claimed
this week that the sides were ‘even’, going as far as to suggest
Tottenham could call on a
stronger bench than
Arsenal.
The suggestion brought a wry smile from Wenger, who said: ‘In
our job it is about performances not about opinions, and so I
believe the most important is what you do on the football
pitch.
‘I am happy with the players I have and I don’t compare with the
Tottenham players. I have
a strong belief in them and I believe we have the wanted strengths
to win the championship.’
Arsenal and
Tottenham might be
level on 19 points going into today’s match, although
Arsenal have a game in hand and are a place above Spurs
in the Premier League table but, for Wenger, the gulf in class
remains sizeable.
Tottenham, for instance,
have not won at
Arsenal since a 3-1 victory at Highbury in May
1993, which was also the last time Spurs won away in the
league at one of the ‘Big Four’ clubs. To put it into context,
17-year-old Jack Wilshere would have been just 15 months old at the
time.
It gets worse for
Tottenham supporters
hoping their side will better last October’s epic 4-4 draw at
the Emirates.
During Wenger’s 13-year reign at
Arsenal, the club have never finished lower than fourth,
qualified for the Champions League each season and reached the
final of the competition in 2006, losing 2-1 to Barcelona.
Tottenham, by comparison,
have never finished higher than fifth in the Premier League
(under Martin Jol in 2005-06 and 2006-07) and have never
played Champions League football.
‘In 2006 they [Tottenham]
were close to getting to the Champions League,’ said Wenger.
Perhaps he did not intend to rub salt in the wounds but,
nevertheless, the comment reflected the difference in ambition
between the two clubs.
The statistics do not lie, yet the
Arsenal manager was quick to say he still regarded Spurs
as a threat.
Wenger said: ‘Tottenham
are a big club, they invest massive money every year — but we
managed always to get in front of them.
‘You can never say never. They have the potential. But what
comes next is the consistency of achievement. At the moment nobody
would deny that Arsenal are in front of them.’
Despite Wenger’s jibe about
Arsenal’s Champions League record, rival manager
Redknapp warned that a change to the top four is imminent. He also
pointed out that Wenger should not take all the credit for bringing
through so many young talents — and highlighted
Arsenal’s lack of experience as a weakness.
Regarding the top four, he predicted: ‘There could be a change
this year. This year, next year … I think there will be a change,
for sure.
Manchester City are certainly getting stronger,
Tottenham are getting
stronger and I think Aston Villa have got stronger this year.’
Speaking about Wenger, he said: ‘He has a great scouting system,
it’s about recruitment. No disrespect to Arsene, it’s not him
finding the kids — no more than it is me finding the kids here.
Someone is finding them and bringing them into the club. Arsene
isn’t standing on Hackney Marshes on a Sunday watching kids play
football.’
Wenger will earn his 1,000th Premier League point as
Arsenal manager with a win today, while
Tottenham have had 13
managers (including three stints for David Pleat) since the
Frenchman came to England in September 1996.
Wenger believes
Tottenham have found the
right man in Redknapp and said: ‘I think he has shown through his
experience and intelligence that he can do it. He has done a good
job because they were fighting not to go down.’
For his part, Redknapp vowed to attack
Arsenal from the start to expose what he considers
is their defensive vulnerability, saying that Peter Crouch
will be ‘unplayable’ if Tottenham put the right crosses into the
box.
‘Anyone struggles against Crouch, nobody can handle him if the
service is good,’ said Redknapp.
‘Against Birmingham last week, he was up against Roger Johnson
who is a good header of the ball but Crouchie came on, won five
headers, hit the bar and scored a goal. He couldn’t handle
him.’
