If Arsenal’s players are anything like club legend Martin Keown, they won’t be taking this weekend’s trip to Tottenham lightly.
The Gunners head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15 to face their north London rivals in a tricky early season test.
The match comes off the back of Arsenal’s first dropped points of the season at home to Brighton last time out when the game finished 1-1 after Declan Rice’s controversial red card.
Mikel Arteta’s side have a solid record away at their neighbours, winning their last two trips across town, but Keown has sent an early warning ahead of the clash.
“I like what Spurs are doing, I like the way they play, I like the unity in the stadium, the togetherness,” he began.
“It’s a difficult situation. I think maybe, now, they’ll be concentrating more on themselves.
“Last time Arsenal went there it was more about Arsenal winning a game of football to become champions, now the manager [Ange Postecoglou] is setting a culture and they’ve got their own trophies they want to win as it’s been a long time.
“We have to respect Spurs and it’s difficult. You want to go there with your best players but they’re not there. [Riccardo] Calafiori has picked up an injury, [Mikel] Moreno the boy who would have come in for Rice is injured.
“It’s been an unlucky start for Arsenal but what they have to do now is make their own luck and go into that cauldron and come out with the three points.”
After paying a surprise compliment to Spurs, Keown even went on to suggest that they’re not far off his old side’s level.
“I think there’s not too much between the two teams when there’s been this period without a trophy,” he said.
“It’s been 21 years now that Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League, God knows how many years since Spurs won a trophy worth picking up, so they’re in a similar boat.”
When it was put to Keown by co-host Simon Jordan that there’s ‘miles’ between the teams given last season’s 23-point gap, he responded: “I don’t think there is when you go to Spurs at home.
“It's a difficult experience right now. You saw the way they blew through Everton and their home record last season, you don’t go there thinking you’re automatically favourites.
“When you go there you have to put out the fire for Spurs, you have to earn the right to play and that’s what Arsenal have to do.