Tottenham vs Arsenal: The last thing embattled Arsene Wenger needs right now is a visit to White Hart Lane

White Hot Lane: Wenger can expect no respite from the Tottenham fans
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
James Benge23 September 2015

It has been the most hellish of weeks for Arsene Wenger, and it is not about to get any better in the bear-pit of White Hart Lane.

Even a brief moment of succour from the FA’s disciplinary panel does not seem to have helped, with tales of a collapsing marriage taking Wenger from the back pages to the front.

What he would give for some peace and quiet.

He won’t be getting any in tonight’s North London derby, as Mauricio Pochettino looks to protect his unbeaten record against his side’s greatest enemy. The hosts come into this game on their best run of form so far this season, Arsenal are on their worst.

Whilst the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb could have been written off as an aberration, the sort of collective shambles that sometimes just happen to any side, it is hard to see how Wenger and his players can have left Stamford Bridge feeling happy with any aspect of the game.

Of course they have been vindicated by the removal of Gabriel’s ban and the imposition of a three game suspension on Diego Costa. But will that have improved the mood at Arsenal?

At best it might unite the team, but it is equally, if not more likely, to fuel a sense that when it comes to their fellow title contenders, nothing ever goes right. Vindication is all well and good, but it’s nothing to a nine point lead over Jose Mourinho.

And so Wenger travels along the Seven Sisters Road with the sense that the morale in his squad is shattered. Take Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who needs to “believe more in himself”. Or Olivier Giroud, who Wenger has admitted has “his back to the wall”.

Tottenham fans must be rubbernecking with glee at the chaos engulfing the Emirates, and they will doubtless be reminding Wenger of everything that has gone wrong for him when he walks out at the line.

The League Cup usually comes as a blessed relief for the Arsenal manager, a time when he can give his overworked starters a break and show off his next generation of stars. But throwing in any of Alex Iwobi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide or Krystian Bielik could backfire drastically. No matter the strife Wenger may be going through, throwing away a North London derby by playing the kids will be unacceptable to Arsenal fans.

Five classic cup encounters between Tottenham and Arsenal

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With must win games in the league and Europe ahead, Wenger really did not need this. If ever there was a worst time to play your great rivals, this is it. And things may be about to get even worse for the Arsenal manager.

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