Arsenal Insider

Arsenal fans and Thomas Frank share a special relationship.

Tottenham Hotspur managers are usually seen as the enemy by Gooners, but the Dane has always been different.

In fact, even after becoming the Spurs boss, Frank has often praised Arsenal, much to the anger of his side’s supporters.

Now, as Tottenham keep crumbling, fans of other clubs are using the Gunners to aim a dig at Frank.

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Wayne Rooney thinks Spurs have a better training ground

Aston Villa supporters sing ‘Thomas Frank is an Arsenal fan’

Tottenham crashed out of the FA Cup after losing 2-1 to Aston Villa at home.

Spurs are having a shocking season. They are currently 14th in the Premier League table, 11th in the Champions League standings, and are already out of both cup competitions.

The North Londoners have won just two league games at home all campaign as well, and many of their fans are turning on Thomas Frank.

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On Saturday, as Tottenham were losing to Aston Villa, the away fans started singing about the Spurs manager.

The usual ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ chant emerged, but what rang around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium along with that will delight Arsenal fans.

“Thomas Frank is an Arsenal fan” was heard loud and clear, and this is something Gooners have been saying for a long time.

When Tottenham appointed Frank, Arsenal supporters all mocked Spurs for giving the job to someone who has a soft spot for the Gunners.

Be honest. Do you really think Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is secretly an Arsenal fan?

Tottenham can learn a valuable lesson from Arsenal

The writing is on the wall for Frank at Tottenham.

The Dane’s style of football is not resonating with Spurs fans, and the results are not good enough either, albeit they are higher in the table now than where they finished last season.

All signs point towards Frank getting sacked, but the smart thing for Tottenham to do would be to stick with their manager, like Arsenal did with Mikel Arteta.

Spurs have given their managers no time to build. Every time there is a collapse, the gaffer is shown the door. That is not sustainable, and it never will be.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has always admired Arsenal.

The Dane waxed lyrical about the Gunners when he was the Brentford manager and even tipped them to win the Premier League back then.

Even after joining Tottenham, Frank has praised Arsenal before realising that he manages the enemy now. It has happened on more than one occasion.

Now, the Spurs head coach has shared his admiration for one thing Arsenal do so well.

Are there any players from Tottenham Hotspur you can admit you actually like?

Thomas Frank wants Tottenham to win ugly like Arsenal

Arsenal are one of the best teams in world football.

The Gunners are on top of the Premier League and Champions League tables right now, and they are the favourites to win both competitions.

On their day, Arsenal can blow teams away – just ask Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who conceded four goals in the space of 30 minutes on Tuesday.

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However, when things are not going their way, Arsenal have shown the resilience needed to win games by one goal as well.

That is a trait Frank seems to admire, and he has claimed that every club, including Tottenham, needs to have that ability.

He said before Spurs’ draw against Brentford, as per HaytersTV: “Every good team needs to be able to do that. And as I said, we are building something.

“Also, it’s fair to say that we are not where City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are right now, unfortunately. We really want to be there, but even they need to win ugly sometimes, where they are winning 1-0.

“How many times have Arsenal won 1-0 from set-pieces this season?!”

Is there anything at all about Tottenham that’s better than Arsenal?

Wayne Rooney thinks Spurs have a better training ground

Mikel Arteta has made Arsenal the most complete team in the Premier League

Frank is right; Arsenal have the ability to win ugly.

The Gunners have won four games in the Premier League 1-0 – against Manchester United, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Everton.

However, they have also scored the second-most goals in the division.

That shows just how complete a side Arsenal are – more so than any other club in the division. That is why they are on top of the table in England and Europe.

Frank is not wrong to want Tottenham to copy the Gunners, but they are still a mile away, and we don’t expect it to ever happen.

As an Arsenal legend, it’s very rare that Thierry Henry has anything nice to say about Tottenham or any of their players.

Indeed, Henry takes any possible opportunity to mock Spurs, and he makes no secret of the fact he simply doesn’t like Arsenal’s rivals.

However, there is one Tottenham legend that Thierry Henry seems to have serious respect for.

Are there any players from Tottenham Hotspur you can admit you actually like?

Indeed, speaking to Shoot For Love, Henry says that he can’t help but have a soft spot for Heung-Min Son, claiming that even as someone who doesn’t like Spurs, he can’t have a bad word to say about the attacker.

Thierry Henry respects Heung-Min Son

Henry spoke about Son and how he respects the forward despite his Spurs allegiances.

The Frenchman says that he can’t say a bad word about Son, before wishing him all the best in his new adventure with LAFC in MLS.

“Heung-Min is one of these players, I will say it, even if you don’t like Tottenham, even if you don’t like South Korea, he’s one you cannot say anything bad about,” Henry said.

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“His work ethic, how he plays, he’s a lovable guy, I wish him the best in MLS and hopefully with the national team, I know how much it means to him.”

Heung-Min Son’s record vs Arsenal

Henry may be a fan of Son, but the Korean has been a thorn in Arsenal’s side for a long time.

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Indeed, Son often saved some of his best performances for the North London Derby, and, sadly for Arsenal fans, his record against the Gunners is solid in terms of goals and assists.

Son rarely won against Arsenal, but he often popped up with goals and assists.

Of course, the Tottenham vs Arsenal rivalry burns deep, but every now and then, when either club has a player like Son or Henry, there has to be a mutual respect for the talent these players possess.

Even in Arsenal circles, Son is a player you can’t help but appreciate as a footballer.

Tottenham don’t have much to brag about in their rivalry with Arsenal at the minute.

Indeed, the Gunners have gone to the next level in recent years, while Tottenham have regressed, finishing 17th in the Premier League last season and seriously struggling to get going this season under Thomas Frank too.

Eberechi Eze chose Arsenal over Tottenham this summer, and he then scored a hat-trick in his first north London derby against Spurs too.

However, despite their on-field struggles, and as much as Arsenal fans will hate to admit it, the infrastructure at Tottenham is impressive.

Is there anything at all about Tottenham that’s better than Arsenal?

Wayne Rooney thinks Spurs have a better training ground

Spurs’ new stadium is very sleek, while, speaking on his podcast, Wayne Rooney has reserved some special praise for the Tottenham training ground too.

Indeed, while interviewing Xavi Simons for his podcast, Rooney remarked on how Tottenham’s training ground was actually by far the best he’s seen, ahead of Arsenal’s London Colney.

Wayne Rooney says Tottenham training ground is better than Arsenal’s

Rooney spoke about Spurs’ training ground.

The former England captain says Spurs’ training ground is the best in the country, making a direct comparison to Arsenal’s facilities.

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“Yeah. It’s a nice training ground though, isn’t it?” Rooney said.

“Did you always think that when you came here?” The host asked.

“Like yeah. This the best. We trained here. We trained at Arsenal as well. And this was by far the best one,” Rooney said.

How much did Arsenal’s training ground cost?

Tottenham Hotspur moved into their state-of-the-art Hotspur Way facility in 2012 after a £45m construction project.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s training ground was constructed back in the late 1990s and cost just £10m.

What changes would you like to see Arsenal make to their training ground

Arsenal paid £10m to build the facility in the 1990s

View Arsenal-insider

Of course, there have since been a number of improvements and investments at the training ground since the facility was opened, but, at the same time, after 25 years, it may be worth considering whether Arsenal should also be looking at building a new facility.

Arsenal are an elite club, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have best-in-class facilities in the whole of England, let alone the best-in-class in north London.

Club Brugge implemented a major change by sacking their manager just two days before facing Arsenal.

As the Gunners look to bounce back after suffering their second defeat of the season, Club Brugge are in the midst of a rebuild.

The Belgian giants dismissed Nicky Hayen amid a poor run of form, losing four of their previous six games.

Arsenal might now fear a new manager bounce, as Club Brugge replaced Hayen by taking Ivan Leko from league rivals Genk, with the Croatian’s first game set to be against Mikel Arteta’s league leaders.

There is, however, one reason why Leko might feel confident heading into Wednesday’s Champions League clash.

Club Brugge have sacked their manager, is a new manager bounce on the horizon? 🫣

Club Brugge sacked Nicky Hayen two days before facing Arsenal! 😳

Club Brugge’s new manager Ivan Leko beat Tottenham in the 2020/21 season

Club Brugge have a talented squad, one that Leko will hope can give him another taste of victory against a North London club.

In the 2020/21 season, when Leko was manager of Royal Antwerp, he beat Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in the Europa League.

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Royal Antwerp won their first group stage game against Spurs 1-0, followed by losing 2-0 away from home.

It was a heavily celebrated victory for the Belgian side, who were led to victory by Leko.

After the game, Mourinho was eager to shower praise on Antwerp, lauding Leko’s side as ‘magnificent’.

“I would prefer to praise the opponent because they played a magnificent game, and not to blame ourselves, because we played an awful game,” Mourinho said.

It was the first and only time Leko faced English opposition, making it quite fitting that his second taste of duelling a Premier League club is against another North London native.

Arsenal’s record against Belgian clubs in the Champions League

Arsenal have the tools to beat Club Brugge, but not without rising to the occasion of Leko’s first game in charge.

The atmosphere at the Jan Breydel Stadium will be ferocious, just as it was when Club Brugge drew 3-3 with Barcelona in early November.

While Leko has experience of beating North London clubs, Arsenal are unbeaten against Belgian clubs in the Champions League.

This was our starting XI the last time we faced a Belgian club – who makes the current XI? 👀

The Gunners have played Standard Liege twice and Anderlecht twice, winning three and drawing one of those games.

Now led by Leko, Club Brugge will hope to break the trend and become the first team to beat Arsenal in Europe this season.

The Arsenal U18s had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in what was an eventful game.

The young Gunners fielded a few U21 regulars in the North London Derby.

Marli Salmon, who is viewed by many as the next big Hale End prospect, was one of them, but his game didn’t go to plan.

The teenager received a red card for doing something that Mikel Arteta is not a fan of.

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Marli Salmon gets a red card during Tottenham U18s vs Arsenal U18s

Games between Arsenal and Tottenham are always heated – even at the academy level.

The North London Derby means everything for players from the two sides, and that was evident in the clash at Hotspur Way on Saturday.

The Arsenal U18s took an early lead thanks to a fine strike from Ceadach O’Neill. Spurs went ahead with goals either side of half-time from Luca Williams-Barnett.

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Teshaun Murisa levelled the game a few minutes later, but chaos unfolded soon after.

Salmon and Spurs’ George Feeney clashed in the middle of the park after a challenge from the former, and the two players angrily went at each other.

The referee took his time and then sent off both players for violent conduct. Arsenal were then reduced to nine men, as Josiah King was also shown a red card later in the game.

The young Gunners held on and the derby finished 2-2, but Salmon must be hoping that his senior team manager will not have seen the incident leading to his red card.

Mikel Arteta has already made his feelings clear about red cards for violent conduct

There was a period under Arteta when Arsenal received a number of red cards.

Some of them were due to terrible refereeing decisions, while others were because of poor tackles.

Arteta wasn’t too fussed with his players in those instances, but back in November 2020, when Nicolas Pepe was sent off for violent conduct after a headbutt on Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski, the Arsenal manager was furious.

After the game, he told the BBC: “It is unacceptable. Unacceptable. At this level, you cannot do it.” Arteta also claimed that Pepe ‘let the team down’.

That is why the Spaniard will not be happy with Salmon’s red card either, as composure is key in heated games like the North London Derby.

However, the defender is still only 16 years old, so we’re sure he will learn from it and be better.

Thomas Frank has broken down the main reason why Arsenal battered Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby.

The clash at the Emirates on Sunday was completely one-sided. The Gunners absolutely dominated the game and deservedly picked up all three points.

Eberechi Eze’s stunning hat-trick has been seen as the reason why Arsenal won, but Frank believes it’s something else.

Thomas Frank says Arsenal beat Tottenham because they won 36 duels

Winning duels is a massive part of Mikel Arteta’s philosophy.

Arsenal have become one of the best teams on the planet over the last few years, and their manager’s demands are the biggest reason why.

Every Arsenal fan will remember the All or Nothing documentary, where Arteta lashed out at his team for losing against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.

“When I lose a duel, I am upset,” Arteta screamed at his players.

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Mikel Arteta hates losing duels!😡

View TikTok

Everyone at Arsenal is well aware of those standards now, and that was evident when they smashed Tottenham in the North London Derby.

After rewatching the game, Thomas Frank has revealed that the Gunners won 36 duels compared to his side’s 17. He thinks that is the reason why Arteta’s men won the game, and we’re sure the Arsenal manager will love that stat.

Frank told Tottenham’s official website: “I watched the game back, that was a hard watch. We were not good, bad performance, not running away from that in any way. The biggest thing was that there was plenty of intent and what we wanted to do, but we just couldn’t execute it on the day.

“The biggest thing for me, the most disappointing thing, was that we were not able to compete, and I was convinced that we could compete on the day. That didn’t happen.

“We had 53 situations where it was like a duel, a second ball situation where Arsenal went long, we went long, like in a normal football game. We came out on top in 17 of those and lost 36. If you don’t do that, that is the basic, then it’s very difficult to win a football match.”

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Mikel Arteta changed one long-standing problem at Arsenal

Arteta has transformed Arsenal in many different ways over the years, but one of his biggest successes is how nobody can bully the Gunners anymore.

There was a time under Arsene Wenger when teams that were overly physical against Arsenal managed to take points off them.

That happened so many times, and it was infuriating to watch.

Now, thanks to Arteta, no side in world football is capable of doing that to Arsenal. Every player in the squad is up for a fight these days, which is also the reason why they are so dominant in duels.

Frank was wrong to even think his side could win more duels than the Gunners. He learned that the hard way in the derby on Sunday.

Arsenal blew away Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby, and the hostile atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium played a key role in the win.

Eberechi Eze netted a superb hat-trick against Tottenham as the Gunners won 4-1 in the North London derby to move six points clear at the top of the Premier League.

On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team were clearly ready for battle, but also in the stands, the supporters made it tough for Spurs.

The Emirates Stadium’s atmosphere has previously been criticised, but during Sunday’s North London derby, one of the final missing pieces now looks to have been found.

Arsenal have turned the Emirates Stadium into a fortress

Arsenal have now turned the Emirates Stadium into a real fortress, a stark contrast to Manchester City and the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of the clash with Tottenham, Arsenal unveiled a tifo with several legends on display, in an extra bid to motivate the players.

Coming to N5 now appears to be a really daunting task for most teams, and Thomas Frank’s set-up against the Gunners proves exactly that.

Do you now see the Emirates Stadium as a fortress following the North London derby?

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Spurs’ new Danish coach had his team sitting incredibly deep in a five-back formation, which is different to how his team lined up away at the Etihad.

Even when Pep Guardiola’s team visited the Emirates, the Spanish manager went against his usual principles and deployed a deep block after his team took the lead.

There aren’t many teams and stadiums in Europe that currently command such respect as Arteta’s team now does at the Emirates.

The Gunners’ ability to turn their home into a horrible place to go could now stand them in great stead to finally get over the line in the race for the Premier League title.

Thierry Henry hails Arsenal’s pre-match tifo vs Tottenham

Thierry Henry has revealed that he was a big fan of Arsenal’s pre-match tifo against Tottenham and has thanked the supporters for showing him such love.

Thierry Henry on Arsenal’s tifo vs Tottenham

“What a tifo! Thank you, Gooners!”

Thierry Henry on Instagram

The legendary Arsenal striker was front and centre on the tifo, just below Sol Campbell, displaying his iconic celebration from 2002 against the Lilywhites.

After Sunday’s North London derby, Henry took to social media to write on his Instagram: “What a tifo! Thank you, Gooners!”

Arsenal unveiled an incredible new tifo during their game against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners produced a sensational performance in the North London Derby on Sunday. They were the better side from start to finish and deservedly won the game.

Even though what happened after the first whistle is what mattered, the scene was set at the Emirates before the players even walked out.

The tifo took the atmosphere to another level, and everyone associated with the club loved it, including Bukayo Saka.

Bukayo Saka’s reaction to Arsenal’s tifo vs Tottenham

The atmosphere before a North London Derby is always special, but the tifo Arsenal unveiled against Tottenham took it to a whole new level.

‘The Arsenal: These streets are our own’ was displayed below images of Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magalhaes, Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and of course, Sol Campbell.

The tifo sent a clear message to Tottenham before the ball was even kicked – they were in enemy territory and were not welcome there.

Arsenal players may have heard that something was being planned before the game, but many of them got the first glimpse of it once they walked onto the pitch.

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Saka, who was Arsenal’s captain that evening, led the team out, saw the tifo immediately, and his reaction was a joy to see.

The England international seemed visibly proud, and a small smile could be seen on his face. He contained it well to remain focused, but it is obvious that he enjoyed it.

Watch Saka’s reaction in the video below.

Watch Bukayo Saka’s instant reaction to Arsenal’s tifo vs Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal fans love Bukayo Saka’s reaction to the tifo vs Tottenham

Saka is Arsenal through and through.

The Englishman has been at the club since he was eight, and he would’ve had many dreams of captaining the Gunners to victory over Tottenham.

To do that and have himself on a tifo with club legends must have felt good, and Arsenal fans loved his reaction.

One Arsenal fan tweeted: “You can see the belief and pride swell in him when he saw it and then his face switched to determination. We really are THAT CLUB!!!!!”

Another wrote: “Look at him, man… built in Hale End, powered by love.”

“This man lives and breathes the Arsenal. Bukayo has put everything into it, and he loves being a part of it. That’s why we love him so much,” said another.

Eberechi Eze is the talk of the Premier League, but in the Arsenal playmaker’s eyes, not everything is rosy.

It all worked out for Eze, who, after being mocked by Thomas Frank, responded to the Tottenham manager in the best way possible.

The England international netted a hat-trick against Spurs in his first North London Derby since rejecting the Lilywhites in favour of signing for Arsenal.

Eze experienced a fairytale against Tottenham, but the perfectionist in him wanted more.

Eberechi Eze was disappointed that he didn’t score more against Tottenham

Everything fell into place for Arsenal’s summer signing against Spurs, from responding to pre-match jabs to scoring a hat-trick to usurping Martin Odegaard in the pecking order.

While it was a 10/10 day for Eze, the attacking midfielder was not actually wholly satisfied, as he revealed when talking to Arsenal’s official website post-match.

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“I probably should have scored four, to be honest,” Eze said.

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“I’m always trying to score more and take my chances, and be more relentless. So I’m a bit disappointed not to score that one, but it’s part of the game.”

For a player to walk away from the North London Derby unsatisfied with a hat-trick is something remarkable, but it only reinforces his desire to achieve perfection.

Mikel Arteta will absolutely love Eze’s post-match transparency, as the Arsenal manager has high demands for his £68m signing.

It was only last month that Arteta admitted he expected more goals from Eze, and very quickly, the boss’s request was answered.

Eze toyed with Tottenham: the stats

Eze was undoubtedly Man of the Match against Spurs, but it wasn’t only his goals that made his presence so loud.

The 27-year-old fired six shots on goal and believes he should’ve converted more than three of them, all while completing each of the three dribbles he attempted.

Duel-winning was a high point too, as Eze won seven of them to get stuck in and influence all areas of the pitch.

It was a perfect day for Eze, whether the forward believes he should’ve scored four or not.