Exclusive: Ange Postecoglou urges Tottenham to fight for 'turf' at Arsenal in Premier League

We have grown accustomed to Premier League managers playing down the importance of big fixtures during the season, but Ange Postecoglou has gone against the grain by warning his Tottenham side of the importance of the north London derby.

Spurs travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on fierce rivals Arsenal on January 15 – with the action live on TNT Sports and discover+.

Tottenham started the gameweek in 12th position in the table, 16 points behind Mikel Arteta’s side – who are second to leaders Liverpool.

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Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the match, Postecoglou said: "If there’s territory involved that usually gives it an extra bit of spice. There’s definitely territory involved because there’s a piece of turf that people want to own.

"What I’ve never done is dismiss it as, ‘it’s just another game’, because it’s not, that’s the reality of it.

"We’re all sort of people who are still very much in our own communities and when you’re walking that’s the first thing people say to you so you know the significance of the game.

"There’s no point me going in there and saying, ‘boys just treat this like any other game’, because it’s not.

"There is a little bit more of an emotional presence in terms of you want the players to understand the ramifications of both the good and the bad, but also prepare themselves for the intensity, the tempo, the passion that exists for this fixture."

‘We are having a tough season’ - Postecoglou shoulders blame for Tottenham results

Video credit: SNTV

Postecoglou has faced a lot of pressure this season with his team struggling to find good form consistently against the backdrop of an excessive injury list.

Although he is convinced there is "light at the end of the tunnel" on the injury front, the Australian coach will be without Timo Werner due to a hamstring injury.

The German striker suffered the issue during their unconvincing FA Cup third round 3-0 victory against National League side Tamworth, who took Tottenham to extra time.

Timo Werner was injured against Tamworth in the FA Cup third round

Image credit: Getty Images

However, Spurs will have Richarlison available again.

Speaking about the issues his team has faced this season, Postecoglou said: "We’ll get through it. It’s like every storm, every storm passes but it’s how you get through that storm that counts.

"Whatever we face in the future, we’ve got a reference point. We can say we were at bare bones and we didn’t give in, we kept going."

Asked if his management style is to blame for the amount of injuries Tottenham have racked up, he said: "The way we play is on the edge and I've purposefully done it that way because I’m a really big believer that if we’re going to achieve what I want us to achieve, we’ve got to do things a bit differently.

"There’s no point us trying to be like anybody else because in that race there are clubs that are years ahead of us. We’ve got to try and do things a little bit differently but there’s risk in that."

Postecoglou backs Spurs to 'come out stronger' after injury-hit period

Video credit: Eurosport

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.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

Stream the 2024-25 Premier League live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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