Arsenal Vs Spurs: Jack Wilshere highlights painful respect

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium on November 1, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium on November 1, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Jack Wilshere has stated that Arsenal must bounce back against a ‘great’ Spurs team. Unfortunately, however painful it is, this is a ‘great’ Spurs team, and Wilshere is right to give them such respect.

The North London derby is here. It is the first of the season. It is the first that comes after a season that saw Tottenham Hotspur finish above Arsenal during Arsene Wenger’s tenure. In fact, in fairly definitive terms, this might be the first North London derby where Spurs is the superior of the two teams.

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That is not a nice sentence to write; it is not a nice truth to hear. Gunners’ fans have lived a cushty life when it comes to the North London rivalry. Wenger has dominated. And relentlessly so. But the emergence of Mauricio Pochettino has seen the pendulum swing.

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When asked about the first derby of the season, Jack Wilshere admitted that Spurs are indeed a ‘great team’, while also stating that he and his teammates must bounce back after the predictable, and yet disappointing, loss to Manchester City last weekend:

"“They’re a great team. They’ve come a long way in the last few years. They finished above us last year, and we want to finish above them this year. But it’s not all about that, we don’t just look at them. We want to finish as high as we can. We know it’s going to be a tough game. It’s at the Emirates, so we have to take the game to them. You’re only as good as your last game. We lost our last game and we need to bounce back. It’s a massive game, and we’re looking to get three points. We’ll be ready for it.”"

This is a crucial game for the Gunners. They currently sit four points behind Spurs and Manchester United. If they were to win at the weekend, other than Manchester City, who are setting a historically searing pace at the top of the table, they would be in and around where was expected at the start of the season. But that is a big if.

Arsenal have failed to beat Spurs in the last six North London derbies in the Premier League, drawing all three that have come at the Emirates and drawing just one at White Hart Lane. Harry Kane, in particular, has been the most prominent of thorns in the side, scoring six goals in the past five league derbies, and scoring in every single one of those five games.

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Spurs deserve to be respected. They are an excellent team. In fact, at this point in the season, they are much better than Arsenal. A point is not to be baulked at, even if a win is needed.