Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison says that the fans make the North London derby one of the most intense experiences in English football.
Maddison claims that each derby has its own local feel that is different as he experienced while at Leicester City and now at Spurs.
He noted that the build-up to a North London derby gets everyone in the mood for the clash.
Maddison believes that the North London derby is the biggest match he has been involved in across his career.
He adds that every Spurs fan lets the players know how much this fixture means to them.
“When you join a new club, rivalries are always a new thing to you,” Maddison told Showmax.
“So, for example, the last club I played for, Leicester, when I joined, I didn’t realise how big of a derby Leicester and Nottingham Forest was. And then you grow to learn about it, and get a feel for it amongst the city, and it’s the same with joining Spurs. Obviously, the North London derby is a big one, which I think everyone knows about.
“When the games come around, you feel the build up around the city and among the people and the media. You get more of a feel once you’re involved in the fixture. Like I said, the North London derby is the one that sticks right out in my mind. That’s the one.
“I think the one thing that you must grasp between derbies and rivalries, is how your supporters feel.
“Since I joined the club, it’s been made very clear by fans you bump into locally on the streets or in the stadium or anywhere else, that this derby means a lot to them. A lot of people who live around here in North London are divided in their families.
“They are split by this rivalry, and that’s what football does to people. So, firstly, we know what it means to them, and how big it is to them. How literally one game can affect bragging rights within families. And it starts with the build-up to the game, media interviews, talking about the game ahead.
“My first experience of it last year was at the Emirates. It was on a Super Sunday, and it was just huge. I never did as many interviews as I did before a game. And on game day, it just had that different feel. Arriving at the stadium, feeling the tension. It was the same in the other one as well. Really looking forward to the one coming up. It’s just a big, big, historic rivalry.”
Maddison revealed that he wasn’t sat down by anyone for a chat about the match before his first derby. The England international added that he was dialled in already ahead of his first brush with Arsenal in a Spurs shirt.
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“I don’t think I needed it, to be honest. I love football. I’ve watched football my whole life. I knew exactly what the North London derby meant to the people,” Maddison adds.
“The other rivalries, like the ones against West Ham and Chelsea, I didn’t know much about it and how much these games meant to our fans, but I don’t think the North London derby needed any explaining.
“Watching it on TV and watching all these historic games in the past, you understand what it means. Even in the build-up, there’s always a different feel. No player sat down with me and had a chat with me about a specific game. You can feel the magnitude of the game already when you are preparing for the game.”
Maddison has backed Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou to get the team up for the big clash on Sunday.
He feels that the Australian is one of the great motivators in the sport.
“Ange is very good at motivating and is good at giving speeches.
“He is good at that anyway, for any game. So, it’s about getting the balance right of building up the derby and understanding what this game means to our fans is very important. But also, not taking it too far, and trying to treat it like a normal game and to focus on just doing our job.
“The gaffer came from Celtic, and the Celtic and Rangers derby is one of the biggest in the world in terms of rivalries, so he knows exactly what it means to manage a rivalry and a derby game. So he is very good in those situations, very calm and gets his message across well.”