Arsenal v Tottenham: Preview
Juande Ramos believes he has won his first major battle as
Tottenham manager by alleviating the 'despondency' he found on his
arrival at White Hart Lane.
The Spaniard took charge of Spurs in October following the
disastrous start to the season overseen by his predecessor Martin
Jol.
And he admits he was faced with a depressed dressing room when he
began his new job with the north Londoners.
'I was taking charge of a great club but there was a despondency
and a tremendous lack of motivation,' Ramos told The Sun. 'There
was no hope or ambition.
'There was so much self-doubt in the dressing room. That was the
most critical thing we had to change.
'I noted an air of abandonment and resignation like it didn't
really matter. It was a worrying situation as I realised my players
were resigned to losing and to disaster.
'They got used to defeats and looked to be in a daze. This alarmed
me enormously as we had to change it radically.'
Ramos appears to have succeeded in his bid to lift the players and
they have lost just once under his leadership to sit comfortably in
mid-table, while they will also face today's opponents Arsenal in
the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.
But the former Sevilla boss has revealed his ambitions go far
further and he insists that, given time, he can turn Tottenham into
a competitive force at the highest level.
'Our club deserves to fight against the best and challenge for the
Premier League and the Champions League. That's what I will try to
do with all my energy and strength,' he added.
'We have the potential to do it. But it doesn't just depend on one
person, it's not all about the coach. The manager has to have the
collaboration and the support of the club.'
Meanwhile, Robin van Persie is determined to send Arsenal's fans
into the festive season with victory over north London rivals
Tottenham.
Van Persie is well aware that during Arsene Wenger's time at the
helm, Spurs have registered just one win in 26 meetings between the
two sides.
But local bragging rights still mean so much to Arsenal supporters
and Van Persie is well aware of it.
He said: 'When I see the fans in the street, they tell me that the
Tottenham game is the one they want us to win.
'It means so much for these people, whether they are at the
training ground, or when I am out shopping. It doesn't matter
where, everyone speaks about this game. It means a lot.
'You can sense there is a special atmosphere. It is similar to the
games against Chelsea and Manchester United in terms of atmosphere
and that's what I like the most.
'I just love to play those games when the fans are on top of it,
they are loving it and every single piece of action in the game
gets the fans involved. It's great to be a part of it.'
Van Persie has played in six derby clashes against Spurs but has
yet to register a goal against them.
He added: 'I know it is a big game for the fans and it is for us as
well. But there are big games every week - last weekend it was
Chelsea and we were very happy because we played well. Spurs is
massive but we have to win every game in the Premier League, not
just against Spurs, if we want to be champions.'
Arsenal will go into the derby with just one major doubt -
England's teenage winger Theo Walcott.
Walcott has not trained after suffering from a flu virus but
otherwise Arsenal have a clean bill of health ahead of the
lunchtime clash.
Wenger said: 'The injury news is quite good compared to last week.
The only one who is problematic is Theo Walcott. He is not fit to
practice. He has had flu and has not recovered completely.
Everybody else is available.'
Tottenham striker Robbie Keane returns from suspension but
midfielder Didier Zokora starts a three-match ban.
Darren Bent (hip), Ricardo Rocha (thigh), Michael Dawson (migraine)
and Jermaine Jenas (ankle) require late checks.
Ledley King has a picked up a thigh strain while recovering from
knee surgery and Anthony Gardner (ankle), Gareth Bale (foot) and
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) remain sidelined.
