It would be short-sighted to suggest Unai Emery, a veteran of nine Sevilla-v-Real Betis collisions, an ex-Valencia manager who has felt the heat of local skirmishes that stretch of the Mediterranean, that the atmosphere he will experience on Sunday will be like none he has ever known before in a derby.
But Emery will certainly sense an intensity he has yet to hear and see as an Arsenal manager at his new home ground.
The season-ticket holders at Emirates Stadium have come to appreciate Emery and he will be aware of that, in amplified applause, before the kick-off of Sunday’s confrontation with Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal are a point shy of the top four in the Premier League - a place better than they finished last season in - and undefeated since the middle of August across competitions.
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Read more:
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Stability in the age of Emery so far started with a hard-earned win in an all-London contest, at home to West Ham United, and probably reached its most glorious blossom on the other side of the capital, during the second half of the 5-1 demolition of Fulham. So, they have seen off London’s middleweights; they have yet to take points from the city’s stronger clubs.
And this is the derby that really counts, the fixture that will endorse or diminish supporters’ affections for Emery the canny strategist and the apparently capable motivator. Arsenal versus Tottenham is the rivalry that, whatever the location, whatever their proximity in the table, evokes as fierce an enmity as any Premier League fixture.
In some respects, this one looks typical of recent seasons. The clubs are in a jostle for what is shaping up as one available spot in the end-of-season top four, with Manchester City and Liverpool best placed to secure two of them and Chelsea in a three-into-two bottleneck of the leading London clubs.
That is a familiar pattern. Four times in the last nine years Arsenal have nudged Spurs out of the top four, effectively taking a Uefa Champions League berth at their neighbours’ expense. In the last two years, Tottenham got their own back, elbowing Arsenal aside.
Emery has had the so-called ‘St Totteringham’s Day’ joke explained to him, the Arsenal supporters’ invention and celebration of the date in the calendar at which their club reach the number of points that guarantees their finishing higher than Spurs in the final table. It has been a long wait: the last one of those was in 2016.
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Graham Caygill's Premier League predictions:
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Cardiff City 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 (Saturday, midnight (UAE time)): Why? If this game had been two months ago Wolves would have been heavy favourites, but they have lost four of their past five games. Neil Warnock's Cardiff have grown in confidence and they are worth at least a point here. Reuters -
Crystal Palace 1 Burnley 0 (Saturday, 7pm): Why? A game between two struggling sides. Palace have not won in the league since September 15 while Burnley have picked up two points from an available 18 in their last six games. This could come down to a moment of individual magic and Palace have the best outfield player in Wilfried Zaha. Reuters -
Huddersfield Town 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 1 (Saturday, 7pm): Why? Aaron Mooy was superb in Huddersfield's win at Wolves last weekend and David Wagner's side need another big performance from the Australian as they seek to maintain their momentum that has seen them claim seven points from their past three games. Getty Images -
Leicester City 2 Watford 0 (Saturday, 7pm): Why? You have to go back to 1987 for the last time Watford won an away game at Leicester in the top flight. Javier Gracia's side have stalled a little since a good start and with Jamie Vardy back among the goals for Leicester this looks like three points for the home side. Getty Images -
Manchester City 4 Bournemouth 1 (Saturday, 7pm): Why? Bournemouth have been impressive this season but they have not come up against to compare of the might of City's offensive power. Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling are all in terrific form and this should be an emphatic win. EPA -
Newcastle United 1 West Ham United 0 (Saturday, 7pm): Why? Having taken 10 games to get a win Rafa Benitez's men have kicked on and won three in a row. This is part of a very inviting run of games for the Tynesiders and against an inconsistent West Ham another victory could be on the horizon. AP Photo -
Southampton 0 Manchester United 2 (Saturday, 9.30pm): Why? United are a frustrating side to watch as despite the talent at their disposal they continue to underwhelm. Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini have been the bright points for them of them and Jose Mourinho will look to them to see off struggling Southampton. Getty Images -
Chelsea 3 Fulham 1 (Sunday, 4pm): Why? Chelsea have suffered their first blip in losing to Tottenham. Luckily for them it is bottom-placed Fulham next. Claudio Ranieri enjoyed the fabled new manager syndrome in his first game in charge against Southampton, but his defence will not be able to cope with a rested Eden Hazard here. Getty Images -
Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Sunday, 6.05pm): Why? Fresh from ending Chelsea's unbeaten start, Tottenham now face their arch rivals, who have themselves not lost in 18 games in all competitions. Arsenal have shown good resolve but Tottenham look to have begun to hit their stride with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen in good nick. A big three points for Mauricio Pochettino's team. Reuters -
Liverpool 2 Everton 0 (Sunday, 8.15pm): Why? After their Uefa Champions League woe in Paris this is a test of Liverpool's mettle. But Jurgen Klopp's men have not faltered yet in the Premier League with 33 points out of 39. Another three to come in the Merseyside derby as Mohamed Salah will again be their main threat. Reuters
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By Sunday evening, Arsenal, fifth, could have caught up on Spurs, third, with a win. That would be a feather in Emery’s cap, but smooth though his integration has been so far, there will be an eerie feel at the Emirates.
Emery will be patrolling the technical area that Spurs supporters, coming to the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s home since 2006, have only ever seen designated to Arsene Wenger. There will be thousands of Spurs and Arsenal fans who have never known a manager other than Wenger presiding over this contest. You have to go back to April 1996, when Bruce Rioch took charge against Spurs at Highbury for the last time Wenger was not in charge.
The Frenchman only lost nine of his 52 North London duels, which leaves quite a standard for Emery to match. He will set about purposefully. He has been bold in his decisions so far, dropping Mesut Ozil last weekend, undistracted by Aaron Ramsey’s contract issues, and Emery has been proactive in much of his tactical thinking.
What intrigues on Sunday is how far he dares take the battle to a Spurs who have had a good eight days, beating Chelsea at Wembley, and winning against Inter Milan to keep themselves in contention for the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs manager whose warm personal relationship with Emery goes back to their time as managers in Spain, hints at feeling a corner has been turned.
“We have shown we can be competitive at this level,” he said after the resonant 3-1 win over Chelsea. His front-line attacking players have all hit form, with goals for Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen in the last week.
Spurs have won their past six games. Three of those were all-capital affairs. They are entitled to call themselves the lords of London right now.
