. One of the most important matches of the season for Tottenham will see them play their 3rd top flight game in a week, but coach says that tiredness is no excuse.
Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino has stressed on the importance of their Northern London derby game against arch rivals Arsenal and has said that he will not tolerate any excuses even though, going into the match, Spurs have already played two games in the week, both victories, against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Monday and Belgian club Anderlecht in their Europa League encounter on Thursday. He fielded strong sides in both games, which were hard fought, especially against their tough Europa league opponents where they won thanks to a Moussa Dembele goal, scored after coming off the bench.
According to The Guardian, Tottenham coach Pochettino said, a It is true that our opponents have an advantage because they have one day more to prepare and recover but we cannot complain and we need to be ready.
a We need to be strong in our minds and try to win the game because we know what the derby means.a
a When you play on Monday, against a very motivated team like Aston Villa when you run and suffer a lot, it is one day less to recover,a he added. a Always you are late to prepare the game. We are a very young squad and we run a lot, sometimes the effort that we make is a lot. But Ia m not complaining, ita s not an excuse. We are very strong in our minds and the way we showed character (against Anderlecht) and on Monday shows that we are ready to compete in a good way and will try 100 per cent to win the game.
Arsenal go in with more injuries, despite lighter schedule
Arsenal go into the game plagued with injuries to 10 players in their squad, including Hector Bellerin, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck. But they also have had an extra day of rest after their European tie while Tottenham have only two days to recuperate for their grueling visit to the Emirates Stadium.
The North London derby has an intense history and it will definitely be a very physical encounter, Spurs will get no love from the Arsenal fans who hold them in the highest contempt. The good news for them is that they have a young and fit squad which is at full strength. They currently sit 5th on the table, 5 points below Arsenal.