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· What happened in the Premier League on Matchday 4 2018-19
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Full Record of Spurs -v- Arsenal
 
Prem          Pl  W   D   L  For-Ag  Pts
Home          27 10  12   5  38 -34  42
Away          27  2  10  15  27 -53  16
========================================
Total(Prem)   54 12  22  20  65 -87  58
=======================================
Football Lge
Home(Div 1)   55 24  12  19  93 -83  63
Away(Div 1)   55 16  12  27  65 -85  46
========================================
Total(Div 1) 110 40  24  46 158 -168 109
========================================
Total(Prem)   54 12  22  20  65 -87  58
Total(Div 1) 110 40  24  46 158 -168 109
========================================
Grand Total  164 52  46  66 223 -255 167
========================================

Last Six Premier League results:-

Arsenal    -    LDWWWL

Leicester  3-0    Arsenal
Arsenal    1-1    Brighton
Burnley    1-3    Arsenal
Newcastle  0-1    Arsenal
Arsenal    2-1    Burnley
Liverpool  3-1    Arsenal  

Spurs      -    LLDWDL
           
Spurs      0-1    West Ham
B'mouth    1-0    Spurs
Spurs      2-2    Everton
Spurs      3-1    A. Villa
Man City   2-2    Spurs
Spurs      0-1    Newcastle

Pos           P  W  D  L   F-A   GD  Pts
 3. Arsenal   3  2  0  1   4-4    0    6
 7. Spurs     3  1  1  1   5-4    1    4

Both teams seeking "bouncebackability"

There is a very interesting article on The Athletic website this week detailing the full history regarding Arsenal and Henry Norris. Most Spurs fans are only too familiar with the tale of how Woolwich "Wanderers" became our mortal enemies! This Norman Giller article from June 2016 adds a few more details to the story.

The Premier League computer has thrown up several big games being played in the opening weeks of the season, which have been eagerly gobbled up by the TV companies and viewers aroumd the world. In week one we had Man Utd v Chelsea. We featured on Matchday two with our game at The Etihad, and last week Arsenal travelled to Anfield. Each of last season's top six teams have been able to mark one of their ten biggest encounters for the season off their calendar. Now we are already playing a second massive game. The pattern has a three week respite. Two weeks for the first International break and a third where none of the "Big Six" are scheduled to meet. On Matchday 6 next month Chelsea will play host to Liverpool, and the following week Arsenal will face Manchester United at Old Trafford. That game will precede the clubs' second Europa League group game.

Spurs will visit The Emirates (the only stadium in London where you can see Europa League football this side of Christmas!) to meet our deadly rivals at the earliest stage of the season since 1st September 2013. Perhaps that fixtures computer operates on a 6-year cycle, because there had been a number of high profile early clashes that year too. Arsenal had Champions League group games against Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli to look forward to, whilst we had Europa League trips to Russia, Moldova and Norway to contemplate. Isn't it lovely to be enjoying the reverse situation, as Arsenal face a third consecutive Europa League season, and we enjoy our fourth consecutive season in the elite league? (Fifth in all, plus the 1961-2 European Cup)

I do appreciate, of course the superiority Arsenal have had over us in terms of the number of Champions League seasons and the number of trophies in their cabinet, but long may our current status continue! We have still won more European trophies though. Both teams have been losing Champions League finalists. Arsenal lost 2-1 to Barcelona in 2006. A certain centre-half scored their goal in the first half, before Eto'o and Belletti scored in the 76th and 81st minute to keep Spurs fans happy! No doubt gooners enjoyed similar schadenfreude on 1st June this year.

Our home game last season was our last league game at Wembley, before we returned home in April and played Crystal Palace. Palace will become the first team to visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium twice when they come on 14th September.

Last season's away game is best forgotten, like so many failed trips to The Emirates, especially as we had so much hope with a 2-1 half-time lead. Better to remember our Carabao Cup quarter-final win there later in December when we did win at their new home for only the second time. Son and Dele Alli scored great goals.

It's 9 years now since we did win a Premier League game at The Emirates. That was in November 2010 when goals by Gareth Bale, Rafa van der Vaart (penalty) and Younes Kaboul gave us a wonderful 3-2 winning feeling. It is time we had more than that solitary Premier League win at their new home to crow about. By the way, I quite often have to use the railway line which passes their place, and don't you think their external decorations (players from past years) are starting to look a bit dingy?

Spurs will definitely be missing Tanguy Ndombele (thigh), Kyle Walker-Peters (hamstring strain), Ryan Sessegnon and Juan Foyth. Eric Dier (hip) is being assessed. Whilst Dier is not definitely absent, right back looks a problem, and we might have Sissoko in that position. It looks as if Dele Alli will be available. His skills will be a true benefit. If Sissoko moves to right back and Eric Dier is not available, we may have a problem with our defensive midfield set-up. Perhaps Serge Aurier will play and Sissoko can play in the middle. Hopefully Jan Vertonghen will play!

Arsenal had several departures during the summer. Aaron Ramsey of course went to Juventus. Danny Welbeck reached the end of his contract, but has been signed up by Watford. Controversially club captain Laurent Koscielny refused to go on a pre-season tour and got his own way with a move back to France, this time with Bordeaux. Alex Iwobi who had a good season last year I felt, but has gone to Everton.

The highest profile (and value) signing was Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, who has already demonstrated his pace, if not always the end product. Pepe cost £72 million and will be part of a genuine attacking threat to Spurs which will include Aubameyang (the man with the rubbish mask!). David Luiz cost £8 million from Chelsea and did nothing last week at Anfield to hearten Arsenal fans with his poor concession of a penalty and poor defensive play against Salah. Kierant Tierney is a left back signed from Celtic, but he has an injury, as does Hector Bellerin still recovering from his knee injury sustained in January. Mesut Ozil may take part on Sunday but is subject to a late decision by Unai Emery. Ozil and Sead Kolašinac had been left out of the Arsenal squad early in the season due to security concerns for the two individuals and their homes.

Dani Ceballos has impressed in an attacking midfield slot behind Pepe and Aubameyang. He was signed on loan from Real Madrid.

STOP PRESS 31/08/19 - Monreal has gone to Real Sociedad. 33 year old Monreal played at left back in Arsenal's first three games, and Sead Kolasinac is likely to start for the first time this season in his place.

We are not going to see the type of game we had last week against Newcastle. Arsenal will come at us and are a threat coming forward without a doubt. They do have defensive frailties however, and if we can get forward in numbers we should score. I fancy a few goals in this game where both teams are seeking to demonstrate "bouncebackability". I am even forecasting a 2-1 Spurs win! Get my pills please!

Our match referee this week will be Martin Atkinson, now a veteran of the Premier League. In the past, Mr Atkinson has taken charge of European games, but that has not been the case recently. His first Premier League game was in 2004, and his first occasion in charge of Spurs was in August 2005 when Spurs beat Middlesbrough 2-0. Our last game refereed by Mr. Atkinson was the 2-1 Premier League defeat by Liverpool in March this year. VAR will be Paul Tierney.

· Spurs' record in recent London Derby matches

· "Ten Years After" - Spurs Odyssey reviews the season in which we first qualified for the Champions League. On August 29th 2009, we beat Birmingham 2-1 with goals by Peter Crouch and Aaron Lennon.

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