Arsenal Vs Spurs: The balance of passion and precision

Arsene Wenger has stated that his Arsenal side must both be impassioned and calm in Saturday’s North London derby. He is most certainly right in how his players must act and perform.

The North London derby is a special fixture. Like every bitter, local rivalry, when the two sides meet, rarely does it happen with a flurry of niceties and pleasant exchanges. There is a fire and ferocity that derbies have that is unique. Whether it be the geographical proximity, the special hatred of the fans, or the lengthy histories that always intertwine the two clubs, there is a rare density to the atmosphere of a derby. And the North London derby is no different.

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It is a game that Arsenal, especially in the Arsene Wenger years, have had the better of. For much of that time, they have simply had the better players. In fact, there are not many clubs that Arsenal have not had the better of during Wenger’s tenure.

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But as Spurs, primarily under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, have improved, so the balance of power in North London has evened. And as the second derby of the season draws near, the Gunners find themselves in a rather worrying four-point hole. A win is an absolute must. And so, it is important that Arsenal are able to find the balance of passion and precision, both empowered by the feverish feeling that will ripple through the stadium and tamed and controlled by the need for calm, composed and accurate decisions.

Wenger himself, who is extensively aware of the qualities that are needed to succeed in North London derbies, was keen to highlight this point in his pre-match press conference:

"“The good thing in sport is that you have to find a good balance between being rational and emotional. As much as you have to certainly be emotionally-charged because of the importance of the game and needing to get the high energy level, once you’re on the pitch you have to be calm, focused and make good decisions. That’s why you can’t let the emotions take over. At the end of the day, it’s down to making good decisions on the football pitch.”"

It is certainly a crucial but challenging line to find. Discipline, for example, can be a major difficulty. There have been 11 red cards in North London derbies in the Premier League era. There have only been 51 league matches between the two sides during that period. In those 11 games, only once has the team with 10 men been victorious. It may sound obvious, but keeping all 11 players on the pitch makes a huge difference, and in a game as heated and fervent as these, that is not always too easy to execute.

Having said that, lacking the necessary passion and intensity is criminal. Given the fans’ desperation to win in the stands, both teams must also show the same fight on the pitch. If they do not, criticism will quickly come raining down. They can be overrun early in games if they are not ‘up for it’ and, especially if they are at home, the atmosphere in the stadium can quickly turn against them.

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It is an extremely difficult balance to find, as Wenger rightly highlights. Arsenal must both be precise and passionate, accurate and ardent, composed and zealous. If they can be exactly that, then they have a great chance to re-establish themselves in both the North London and Premier League standings.