HARRY REDKNAPP believes that Arsenal continue to lack the experience to outlast Chelsea or Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title while the Tottenham Hotspur manager said that opposition teams have “got chances with Arsenal, for sure” because of their attack-minded approach.
He hopes to capitalise on such openings in today’s derby at Emirates Stadium and see Tottenham record a first league victory over their neighbours since November 1999. Redknapp foresees an entertaining encounter against opponents for whom he has plenty of respect but his longer-term predictions might be less popular in the red half of north London.
“I don’t think it’s a soft centre (with Arsenal), I think it’s maybe a little bit of a lack of experience,” said Redknapp. “They’re not an experienced team. It’s still a young team, a fantastic young team. But I just feel Chelsea and Man United . . . they have players who have been there and done it all, and that’s where I think the winners will come from.
“Arsenal are potential winners but I don’t think they will win it. I’m not writing them off, or Liverpool, but I think the winners will come from Chelsea or Man United. Chelsea are powerful; they are men. I think they will take all the beating.
Even the other night (against Bolton in the League Cup), they made loads of changes but look at who came into the team. They’re proper players, aren’t they?”
Redknapp feels towering striker Peter Crouch, who can be “unplayable”, could be the key figure for Tottenham, against an Arsenal team who have few purely defensive players.
“It’s an attacking team, isn’t it,” Redknapp said. “They go forward, they attack you and it’s great to watch. The two full-backs probably wouldn’t know what it was if you told them to sit in. They’re almost like two wingers.
“They attack from midfield, only (Alex) Song sits. (Cesc) Fabregas goes, (Abou) Diaby goes, (Andrey) Arshavin is an attacking player, that’s how they play so they are . . . if you can get the ball and can attack them, you have got chances with Arsenal, for sure.”
Tottenham’s Robbie Keane said this week that his team-mates were as strong as their Arsenal counterparts, with their squad having greater depth, but it was no surprise to hear Arsene Wenger disagree.
“Let people talk,” the Arsenal manager said. “What is important is how we play. I don’t share that opinion at all but I do understand why he says that. Why should he say ‘we are weaker’?”
Wenger certainly does not envisage a time when Tottenham have the serious bragging rights.
“How do you measure the dimension of a club?” he asked. “Success. So if you look at success historically, they have a lot of work to do. We have been 12 consecutive years in the Champions League so once they have done that they can say that they are similar.”
Can Tottenham bridge the gap?
“You can never say never,” said Wenger. “They have the potential, the supporters, they invest massive money every year. But what comes next is the consistency of achievement. At the moment, nobody would deny that Arsenal is in front.”
Wenger acknowledged Tottenham were a rival in the league this season but he played down the significance of today’s opponents.
“Above the derby, what is more important is to win, because we want to win the league,” he said.
“I do not consider too much that we play Tottenham. I consider we can take three points to be in a stronger position in the league.”
Wenger has a formidable record in head-to-head encounters with Redknapp, losing just once in 23 meetings. “Let’s keep it that way,” he said, with a smile.
Guardian Service
