Arsenal v Tottenham: Mikel Arteta says Jack Wilshere's 'very public' passion for North London Derby 'stuck in my head'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has recalled his conversations with Jack Wilshere about the significance of the North London Derby.

The Gunners take on Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening, live on TNT Sports and discovery+,with little margin for error if they are to chase down Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

After two successive defeats, in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, Arteta knows from his playing days that a victory over Tottenham can dramatically lift the spirits of the fanbase.

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Ahead of the game, the Spaniard recalled former midfielder Wilshere’s passion for the fixture, with the Hale End graduate having famously taunted Arsenal’s local rivals during an FA Cup victory parade in 2015.

That day, Wilshere bellowed into a microphone ‘What do you think of Tottenham?’ before thousands of Arsenal fans, who naturally shouted back their usual X-rated reply.

"I remember having a few conversations with Jack about it." Arteta recalled. "Because Jack was very passionate about the rivalry, as we all know about.

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"He made it public a few times, which was at the time very viral. So that’s probably something that’s stuck in my head from a player’s perspective."

There were groans last week as Arsenal lost to Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals. It was the club’s first defeat at home in nine months.

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Frustration from fans was even more apparent days later when they were knocked out by Manchester United on penalties in the FA Cup third round.

But, while referring to a spate of injuries and suspensions endured by the club this term, Arteta called on the Emirates faithful to create the best atmosphere the 18-year-old stadium has seen.

Arteta said: "There are a lot of things happening that are very difficult to control. There are some things that are in our hands and this is one of them.

"Let’s create the best atmosphere that the Emirates has seen. This is something that is in our hands. If we get the win, we’re going to get independent of everybody.

"So what we’re going to try with the players and staff is to be the first ones to embrace that and hopefully [the fans] will follow us."

Arteta on Havertz 'qualities'

Arteta noted attacker Kai Havertz’s qualities, after the German received social media abuse after missing two great chances and a spot-kick in Sunday’s defeat to United.

He insisted: "First of all, I assess the performance in a way where you isolate the topic of scoring a goal. [I assess] what Kai brings to a team.

"This season we probably haven’t been as prolific in the numbers that we have scored. But they produce incredible things for the team and Kai is one of them."

How to watch the north London derby

Arsenal face Tottenham in the 197th edition of the north London derby on Wednesday evening.

Coverage will get underway on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ at 18:30 ahead of a 20:00 kick off.

The Gunners will be hoping the match against their fierce rivals can breathe new life into their title challenge, with Mikel Arteta's side currently six points behind Liverpool.

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

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