The North London derby gets closer and closer and I’m anticipating it with enthusiasm because I expect another epic encounter between two great rivals. The media Vultures will take out time to do what they are known for and this fixture will be no different.
They’ve already reported that Aaron Ramsey says that Arsenal won’t be the underdogs for the derby and I’ll agree with the Welsh captain. The fact that Arsenal is just sitting below Tottenham won’t change the general consensus that the game will be an equally fought contest.
Down the years, this fixture has produced great moments for the fans of these clubs but some emphasis will be laid on an ex-Gunner that is currently plying his trade on loan to Tottenham, Emmanuel Adebayor.
Adebayor served Arsenal from the winter of 2006 to the summer of 2009 and he managed to amass 46 league goals in 105 appearances. Shortly after moving to Manchester City, Adebayor was wearing the Blue of the Manchester based outfit when Arsenal visited the City of Manchester Stadium in a Premier League encounterbut the game was marred by Arsenal’s awful display and Adebayor’s antics on the field.
This earned him a villian-like status amongst the Arsenal faithful and he turned out to be a hated figure in the return leg at the Emirates.
Adebayor has moved to Real Madrid before making a U-turn to the white half of North London but the match between Tottenham and Arsenal is likely to raise some tensions between the Gunners on the pitch and Emmanuel Adebayor. Van Persie received a first-hand demonstration of Adebayor’s aggressiveness so there’s a high chance of rVp doing something very canny behind the scenes.
However, Adebayor gathered up some media Vultures to issue a public apology to Arsenal:
‘I regret what I have done and I say sorry to everyone but at the end of the day sorry doesn’t change anything. For me it’s over.
‘I’m looking forward to playing against Arsenal again on Sunday but believe me, if I have a chance to score, trust me I will score but as for the celebration, never in my life will I do something like that again.’
‘It will be a funny game [on Sunday], it’ll be fantastic. I have a chance to play against Arsenal again, the club that gave me the chance to be where I am today. I have a huge respect for the club.’
Awwww…….Ade has gone all touchy. Gimme a break.
I’m pretty sure that Wenger will tell his men to behave themselves in the best possible manner because this derby has seen its fair share of red cards so it would be foolish for any Gunner to overreact in a game of this magnitude especially with their positions in the Premier League.
There is a Gunner that has come into the spotlight for more reasons than one. For starters, he has turned out to be Arsenal’s most expensive acquisition this season with a £12m price tag on his head. His footballing exploits earned him a place in the npower League 1 Team of the Year and he has made a blistering start to his Arsenal career with two goals in the first two games he has started for the club.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or the Chambered Ox as I prefer to call him made history by being the youngest ever English goal scorer in the Champions League and he was quick to say a thing or two about the proud moment:
“I am proud to score in the Champions League tonight for the team. I made a little contribution and I’m hoping I can push on from here and improve”
The Chambered Ox has also talked about pushing for a starting role and he unveiled the reason why he chose to play for Arsenal:
“I always used to watch Arsenal and I loved the way they played football. I think it was the manager, stadium and fans that sold it for me. “
“The boss is a massive influence in the game and he is such an intelligent man. The stuff he says, you have to sit back and can only admire. Even in his team talk for today, the stuff he says is brilliant.
“You always learn stuff from him. He has a quiet word every now and again but the stuff he says is spot on. You think ‘yeah, actually I didn’t realise that and thank you.’ He’s just a fantastic man and I think the way he thought he could develop my game really pushed me towards Arsenal.
“It’s a massive club and nights like this prove it. I came to a few games last season – the Barcelona one here when they won – and I was blown away so that was it.”
The future is really bright with the likes of the Chambered Ox in it and with Theo Walcott struggling with injuries and Arshavin putting up inconsistent performances, the young lad could be in line for a starting berth because we all know that Arsene Wenger is never afraid to hand any youngster a chance as long as the player merits it.
The season is still young so I’ll expect to see the Chambered Ox strut his stuff as it progresses and I’m also drooling with the prospect of watching Ryo Miyaichi play too.
In other Arsenal news, Gervinho says that he’s enjoying his stay at the club while Per Mertesacker is relishing the challenge of playing Tottenham.
The month is over so I’m going to publish the polls for the awards for the month of September tonight.
Please don’t forget to vote for your Save of the month as well as your assist, goal, match, worst match, most improved, most disappointing and of course, the Gunner of the Month.
Vermaelen looks certain to be dethroned as he was the winner for the award last month.
Till then.
Sayonara.
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