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Everything Harry Kane has said about Arsenal - from supporting them to Spurs rivalry

Harry Kane's history with Arsenal goes back all the way to his childhood

Everything Harry Kane has said about Arsenal - from supporting them to Spurs rivalry:

The Release from the Academy Fuels His Drive: Having supported them as a child, Kane has previously referenced the fact that he was released by Arsenal's academy, which became a significant source of motivation. He said: "Every time we played them, I thought, 'Alright, we'll see who's right and who's wrong.'"

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The Hurt of Finishing Below Arsenal: During his time at Tottenham, Kane spoke about the frustration of Arsenal outperforming Spurs, even in seasons where Tottenham felt they had performed well. He said: "When people think Arsenal had a bad season and we've had a good one, yet they still finish above us, it hurts."

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The Rivalry Provides Extra Motivation: Kane has consistently stated that the animosity from Arsenal fans actually serves to motivate him to perform better in games against them. Kane stated: "Maybe the Chelsea fans don't like me as much, and when we play Arsenal, maybe the Arsenal fans don't like me as much. But that makes me want to play better, that motivates me."

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Recognition of Arsenal's Defensive Strength (Post-Tottenham): Following his move to Bayern Munich, Kane has analysed Arsenal as an opponent in the Champions League, giving a professional assessment of their quality. "Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are two different teams. I believe Arsenal are stronger defensively," he said. "They make life difficult for opponents."

Premier League Evolution Statement: The England striker admitted Arsenal have taken advantage of the style of football that is currently breeding results in the Premier League. "Watching the Premier League is probably a little less enjoyable than what it has been in recent years, to be honest, but that’s kind of the evolution of football,' Kane said. 'Sometimes it comes in like this and that’s the case this year. Arsenal have capitalised on that and are a really strong set-plays team.'

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Harry Kane has been speaking ahead of Bayern Munich's crunch Champions League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates and discussed his record against the Gunners

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has opened up about how Arsenal have developed since their Champions League meeting back in 2023. The Gunners were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Bundesliga side following a 3-2 aggregate defeat two years ago, with Kane netting in the opening leg at the Emirates.

The England captain was frequently Arsenal's tormentor throughout his lengthy stint at Tottenham, with 11 strikes against them making him the all-time leading goalscorer in North London Derbies. The most recent clash between the sides took place this past weekend with his former club heavily beaten 4-1.

Meanwhile, Kane has already netted 27 times this season and will certainly be aiming to increase that figure on Wednesday night. Speaking before the major European encounter, Kane was questioned about his remarkable record against Arsenal, which prompted him to acknowledge a harsh reality he's hoping to put right.

He said: "With Tottenham, it was always one of the biggest games of the season against Arsenal. I have friends who are fans of both teams."

"It's not quite the same with Bayern as we don't always play against each other – we got an important win against them in the quarter-finals two years ago. I've scored a lot of goals here in this stadium – but haven't won many games. I hope we can change that tomorrow.

"Obviously when I was at Tottenham, the North London derby was always a big moment. But it's not about me against Arsenal, it's about Bayern against Arsenal. I'm in good form and it's all about helping my team and scoring goals."

Mikel Arteta has transformed Arsenal's defensive resilience since Kane last encountered them, with his squad maintaining a clean sheet throughout this season's Champions League campaign. One encouraging factor for Bayern is Gabriel Magalhaes' absence from the fixture and forthcoming matches due to a groin problem.

Nevertheless, the 32-year-old recognises their capabilities, with additional fixtures at European football's highest level aiding their development. Kane said: "They've become more solid, they have more experience – but they play similarly to how they did back then; defensively, their structure is better.

"They've gained experience in the Champions League, which has made them better and helped them grow. That's why they're in the position they're in right now. It will be a good test for us tomorrow."

Discussing what Bayern require to defeat their rivals, he continued: "It'll be a tough game for us. There's a reason why Arsenal are up there in the Champions League and Premier League. They're very solid.

"We need to make sure we're alert all over and that we make things tough for them to win the ball back. We need to make use of other strengths, our pressing. It's two of the best teams in the world."

Tottenham were hammered by Arsenal on Sunday and Thomas Frank has been left to pick up the pieces amid talk his job is already in doubt despite being hired in the summer

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank insists he "knows how to build a team" as he underlined the need for the club to stick by him despite their embarrassing loss at Arsenal.

A harrowing loss in the North London derby has seen the pressure ramp up on Frank, who was only appointed in the summer off the back of several impressive years with Brentford. He's now dealing with heightened expectations and his future is now a talking point.

Tottenham have shown themselves willing to sack managers after only a matter of months. Nuno Espirito Santo was axed after 17 games in 2021, albeit that was when Daniel Levy was at the helm, but Tottenham's hierarchy still have lofty ambitions.

Frank, who has won just once in his last five Premier League games, insists now is the time for the club to stick by him as he's learning on the job but made it clear he has the ability to make them a success.

He said: "Part of taking this job was to sit here and have the challenges. Of course, I would have loved to sit here and we've beaten Arsenal and then face Paris tomorrow night. We lost and we lost badly. Part of that is to manage those setbacks and learn from it and move on from here.

"One thing I'm 1000 per cent sure of, I know how to build a team, I know how to build a club and we will do that. Along the way, we'll learn and the big thing is how we learn from the bad spells, because that's where we also can see that when we go 1-0 down, how do we react as a team? The best teams, they just continually move on. They still run hard, they still do the same thing. There's no doubt in that.

"The first four months, I learned a lot about the team. I learned a lot about the individual players and all that learning that needs to materialise to how we find the right formula with the right players on the pitch and also with some players coming back. Then we play every third day. That's the big challenge, but that's what I embrace."

Tottenham have been as high as second this term, but now find themselves down in ninth. Their Carabao Cup hopes have ended whilst in the Champions League they remain unbeaten, winning two and drawing two of their four outings. PSG on Wednesday night will offer their sternest test.

The Parisians are defending European champions and downed Tottenham in the European Super Cup only months ago, but Frank is adamant his side will produce the necessary response to their Arsenal mauling.

"I'm convinced that we'll bounce back with a good performance," he said.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is under pressure amid indifferent performances and an embarrassing defeat to North London rivals Arsenal - but the Dane’s job is safe for now

Tottenham Hotspur will NOT sack Thomas Frank in the aftermath of their poor showing in the north London derby against Arsenal, who inflicted a chastening defeat on their bitter rivals.

Spurs were torn apart by the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium with Eberechi Eze rubbing salt in the wounds by netting a hat-trick after coming so close to linking up with Frank and Co in the summer. Leandro Trossard was also on target as the hosts romped to a 4-1 victory to extend their league at the Premier League summit at sorry Spurs' expense.

The club's fourth league defeat of the season comes amid a backdrop of growing restlessness from Spurs supporters at what they perceive as below-par and negative performances. But while Spurs chiefs are aware of the downturn in results, they are keen to give Frank time to turn things around.

According to The Telegraph, the club’s owners, the Lewis family, are clear on their thoughts that Frank’s appointment was a long-term project and that remains the case. It is emphasised that the club are not panicking and will not be forced into making a knee-jerk decision. They do have concerns, however.

It is thought that the former Brentford boss’ numerous changes have contributed to a series of disappointing performances, while some players are keen for Frank to focus on the strengths of his own side.

The squad reported to Spurs' training ground on Monday as usual before travelling to France for the club's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

Speaking after his side’s defeat to Arsenal, Frank said: “I’m a very big believer that no matter what system you play you can be successful. I completely understand the question and I will always take the full responsibility. The full responsibility will always be on me today when we didn’t perform.

“I picked a team that played 5-4-1, changed it half-time, very clever, one minute into it they scored, 3-0, the rest is history after that. What I would say is that no matter if we played another system we needed to be more aggressive and better in the duels. That doesn’t matter to the system but I take responsibility for everything today."

What went wrong for Spurs vs Arsenal? Share your thoughts in the comments below

On Spurs’ disappointing results, he added: "That, of course, will always be a concern. I would like the team to have very few bad performances. There will always be average performances, because it's football we're dealing with.

“That's definitely something I need to look into, because today, I felt we were fresh, I think we were ready. The Chelsea game was a little bit on the back end of a tough spell. There could be that but the performance was still bad. Today, I didn't expect us to be not competitive."

Frank was appointed in the summer as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement. Spurs paid £10m compensation to Brentford to seal his services, while Frank penned a three-year deal in North London.

Arsenal's victory over Tottenham ensured Gabriel Magalhaes could emphatically hit back at Richarlison despite the Gunners defender missing the North London Derby due to injury

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes could not help poking fun at Tottenham forward Richarlison following the Gunners' North London Derby win over Spurs. Gabriel was not even on the pitch but targeted his international team-mate after the game.

The defender, 28, took to Instagram and posted a photograph of himself, along with the Arsenal player of the month trophy he'd been awarded, along with Eberechi Eze's shirt, player of the match award and signed football.

Crucially, Gabriel, who missed the game due to an injury picked up with Brazil, tagged Richarlison in his post. The act mirrored how he was targeted by Richarlison following Spurs' win in a pre-season friendly.

In July, the Spurs star posted a picture of his Man of the Match award and tagged Gabriel after Tottenham's 1-0 win over Arsenal in Hong Kong. On that occasion, Gabriel responded by sharing a picture of three Premier League player of the match awards picked up against Tottenham.

But now he has really been able to rub salt into the wound when it matters. Gabriel was in attendance at the Emirates for Arsenal's dominant win and took to the pitch when celebrations got underway at full-time.

Eze's hat-trick and Leandro Trossard's goal ensured that Richarlison's impressive strike from distance counted for nothing. Three points against their local rivals ensured Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to six points after Manchester City slipped up against Newcastle.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been impressed by his team's consistency this term. The Spaniard is refusing to get ahead of himself, however.

Instead, he is still desperate to see the club's injured stars return, including key man Gabriel. Arteta was impressed by his replacement, though.

"We are doing really well, we've been really consistent, and that's it," Arteta said in his press conference. "I mean, when you look at the results, whether they win or lose, the difference in the scoreline and actually what happens in games is really small. We know that.

"We need players back immediately today. We've got Noni back on the pitch, which is great, but we're still missing a lot, a lot of important players, and we're going to need all of them.

"The good news is we lost big Gabi, which is a massive blow, and Piero [Hincapie] comes in, and I think he was fantastic from the beginning."

Arsenal underlined their title credentials by easing past fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby and Thierry Henry has offered his thoughts on their chances of silverware

Thierry Henry has told the Arsenal dressing room to “be honest” about their title ambitions following their memorable win against Tottenham. Mikel Arteta’s side extended their advantage at the top of the table with Sunday’s thumping victory.

Eberechi Eze netted a hat-trick, while Leandro Trossard also managed to get on the scoresheet. The victory leaves the Gunners as the clear favourites for the trophy.

And after a number of failed attempts over the last few years, Henry has told his former side to stop acting as underdogs - and instead now start living up to the billing of favourites.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the Frenchman said: "At some point, you have to embrace it. People are talking about the process. It's not believing in the process anymore. It's happening. You have to be honest.

"We put ourselves in the situation where we believe we have the best squad. Did we mention the players that were not playing? Look at how we played. You're not complaining anymore about one or two.

"So you need to make sure that you can win the league. I'm not saying they are going to win it but you need to act like you are the favourite.

"Embrace it. It's not me trying to put pressure. If I were coming back in the summer, I would have said, 'It's time to stop messing around'. We now need a performance this year where people are scared of us. It's not being cocky."

Arsenal boss Arteta was asked about what this weekend has done for his side’s chances of winning the league, particularly with Manchester City losing. He suggested he was more keen on Arsenal getting back to winning ways after letting a potentially vital win slip through their fingers before the international break.

Do Arsenal have what it takes to win the table? Share your thoughts in the comments below

He said: “Yeah and especially after the Sunderland game when we dropped two points in the last seconds. We had ten straight wins, we wanted to get back to winning games.”

Asked what moving six points clear means, Arteta replied: “In this league? Not much.”

Arsenal could even extend their lead at the top of the table in their next outing. Following a midweek Champions League clash with German giants Bayern Munich, they then take on second-place Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, third-place Manchester City take on struggling Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium.

Tottenham produced a miserable North London derby performance as Arsenal ran riot to win 4-1, piling pressure on manager Thomas Frank and his approach to the game

Thomas Frank took “full responsibility” for Tottenham’s humiliating defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal. Frank apologised to the travelling Spurs fans who made their feelings plain as the away end was virtually empty by the final whistle.

Tottenham boss Frank admitted that he got his tactics horribly wrong and had to abandon his back three defensive system at half time.

There was also another unwanted stat for Spurs as they have recorded the two lowest expected goals totals in a Premier League game this season, 0.07 against Arsenal and 0.1 against Chelsea at the start of November.

It leaves Tottenham in ninth place and 11 points behind their title-chasing neighbours Arsenal. It was only the second time they have started with that system which they did against Paris Saint Germain in the European Super Cup which they eventually lost.

Frank said: “I’m a very big believer that no matter what system you play you can be successful. I completely understand the question and I will always take the full responsibility. The full responsibility will always be on me today when we didn’t perform.

“I picked a team that played 5-4-1, changed it half-time very clever on minute into it they scored. 3-0. Then the rest is history after that.

“What I would say is that no matter if we played another system we needed to be more aggressive and better in the duels. That doesn’t matter to the system but I need to take responsibility for everything today.

“It is concerning, of course. We are working very hard to try to make that better but sometimes it’s not only playing out and finding a nice pass but also in a game like this if you see some of the situations where they won it high, Arsenal, then there was a little bit more open space.

“We didn’t win it enough in those situations and then create from that. For me the creativity, I know it was very low, but it was not my biggest concern today.”

Frank conceded his players were too passive, did not create enough and it was a serious worry.

He added: “This is of course hugely disappointing that we didn’t perform better in the game against Arsenal our biggest rivals. I can only apologise to the fans for that. I was very confident on Friday when we spoke that we would be competitive today and weren't over the 90 minutes.

“We tried to come here and be aggressive and press high and in spells go after them. We didn’t succeed with that bit. We didn’t manage to get near enough them in the situations we could.

“It means we got pushed back and got a little too passive. It looks like we are running after them. When we finally got on the ball we were not good enough to get out of those situations.

“No matter how painful it is to admit, they are definitely six years down the line and we are four months down the line but even with that I was still expecting much more from us today. Not that we could dominate over 90 minutes but that we could be as competitive as we were against Man City and PSG.”

Frank admitted Tottenham have a lot of work to do but pleaded for patience as they finished low in the table last year despite winning the Europa League. “I think there's definitely a lot to work on still. I think it's fair to say that we are very disappointed and unhappy with the performance today,” said Frank.

“I don't want to run away from that. As I said, I apologise to the fans. I think it's also fair to say where we're coming from. We finished 17th last year. And we've tried to build something, which today didn't look like we tried to build something.”

Tottenham star points finger at team-mates and issues grovelling Arsenal apology to fans

Tottenham suffered a dismal defeat against arch rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon - with Eberechi Eze scoring a superb hat-trick for the Gunners.

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has issued a grovelling apology to supporters. That's as he also pointed fingers at his team-mates after a dismal 4-1 loss against bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

The Gunners extended their lead at the top of the Premier League standings to six points with a comprehensive win at the Emirates Stadium. Ebere Eze scored a hat-trick after Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for the hosts, while an outrageous strike from Richarlison in the second half proved to be a mere consolation.

Thomas Frank 's side, meanwhile, sit ninth in the table with 12 games played. They have won five, drawn three and lost four so far this term.

Speaking to Sky Sports at full-time, Vicario was quick to apologise to fans and admitted his side showed no fight, despite it being one of the biggest games on the calendar. "A very bad night for us," the goalkeeper said.

"First of all we have to apologise to the people that support us every day. They expected us to fight and today we didn't fight. That's not negotiable to do in football in this level.

"It's a tough night - a very bad defeat - but we have to stick together. We have a big night on Wednesday, but we need to stick together. Tonight we didn't show the things we are normally capable of.

"The emotions are high, but we need cool heads and apologise to the people that support us - and have travelled today. I think we waited too much to get into the game.

"We were too passive. The game-plan we prepared was different. Today we didn't fight.

"We have to apologise first of all for this. But we have to stick together and move on because on Wednesday we have a big night."

Spurs return to action midweek for their tricky Champions League clash away at last season's winners Paris Saint-Germain. Then they must prepare for the visit of Fulham in the Premier League next weekend.

Arsenal, meanwhile, also face a difficult test against German outfit Bayern Munich in Europe on Wednesday night. And that is followed by another London derby away at Chelsea in the Premier League.

Arsenal are now in prime position to end their long wait for a Premier League title following their dismantling of Tottenham but there could still be some twists ahead of a busy Christmas period

Arsenal now stand alone as this season’s favourites for the Premier League title. The Gunners extended their lead at the top of the table to six points by dismantling North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.

An Eberechi Eze hat-trick was accompanied by a Leandro Trossard strike on a memorable afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s side. It was also a productive weekend for Chelsea, who claimed second spot in the table as they eased past newly promoted Burnley.

And while the two London rivals enjoyed excellent wins, the same cannot be said of Manchester City, who hit a slight roadblock over the weekend. Pep Guardiola’s side were downed 2-1 by Newcastle at St James’ Park.

They remain third but are now seven points off the pace. But it's still early and there is guaranteed be more twists and turns on the horizon.

Here’s what’s to come for each of the top three in the Premier League over the next few weeks:

Arsenal

After dismantling Spurs, Arsenal face yet another big test next weekend as they travel to second place Chelsea. Should they secure victory in the game, then thoughts of the title really could be starting to cross the minds of the Arsenal players.

Just three days later, Arsenal then welcome Brentford to the Emirates Stadium. A trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa and former boss Unai Emery is their next assignment.

Struggling Wolves are Arsenal’s next opponents in mid-December ahead of their debut trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium for a showdown with Everton.

Arsenal’s next five fixtures:

Chelsea (A) - Sun Nov 30

Brentford (H) - Weds Dec 3

Aston Villa (A) - Sat Dec 6

Wolves (H) - Sat Dec 13

Everton (A) - Sat Dec 20

Who do you think are the favourites for the Premier League title? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Chelsea

Given Arsenal’s current form, it would be a real statement from Chelsea to secure victory against Arsenal next weekend - and that’s what Blues boss Enzo Maresca will have on his mind. Chelsea will then turn their attention to a clash with Leeds at Elland Road in their first December fixture.

Another away game follows that, with Bournemouth set to host the Blues the following weekend. Just seven days before they take on Arsenal, Everton will play yet another role in the potential title race as they travel to Stamford Bridge on December 13.

After beating Manchester City, Newcastle will then also want their say as they welcome Chelsea to St James’ Park shortly before Christmas.

Chelsea’s next five fixtures:

Arsenal (H) - Sun Nov 30

Leeds (A) - Weds Dec 3

Bournemouth (A) - Sat Dec 6

Everton (H) - Sat Dec 13

Newcastle (A) - Sat Dec 20

Man City

Despite currently finding themselves on the backfoot, Manchester City are certainly capable of stringing a number of wins together - and given the run of fixtures they’ve got heading into Christmas, you wouldn’t bet against them doing that.

Struggling Leeds travel to the Etihad Stadium next weekend, while a trip to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham then follows that.

Newly-promoted Sunderland travel to Manchester just a few days later. London duo Crystal Palace and West Ham then round off City’s next five Premier League fixtures.

Man City's next five fixtures:

Leeds (H) - Sat Nov 29

Fulham (A) - Tues Dec 2

Sunderland (H) - Sat Dec 6

Crystal Palace (A) - Sun Dec 14

West Ham (H) - Sat Dec 20

Tottenham hero Les Ferdinand gave his thoughts on Eberechi Eze's start to life at Arsenal before kick-off in the North London Derby, only to see him score a hat-trick

Eberechi Eze made Les Ferdinand eat his words after scoring a tremendous hat-trick for Arsenal as they thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in the North London Derby. Eze was the star of the show on Sunday afternoon as the Gunners continued their utter dominance of the fixture and moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Leandro Trossard opened the scoring before Eze took centre stage by finding the net with three confident and composed finishes. Richarlison scored a staggering consolation goal for Spurs from distance as he lobbed David Raya, but that was all their fans had to cheer.

Eze has now scored six goals in four games against Spurs across his career and the fact Tottenham tried unsuccessfully to sign him from Crystal Palace over the summer won't have been lost on Thomas Frank and co. Ferdinand played a role in Eze's development as QPR's director of football when they signed him in 2016 and he shared his thoughts before kick-off.

"I took him to QPR and straight away I saw a talent, someone we felt could go on and he's done that, in terms of going to Crystal Palace and then here (Arsenal)," Ferdinand said on Sky Sports. "I've often said I felt he could've gone from QPR to one of the bigger clubs.

"But he's come to Arsenal and I think he's playing with the handbrake on, that's what I'd call it. I think there's so much more from him. The reason Arsenal have bought him, he's got a calmness about him, the way he plays, his attitude and the way he is. I just feel he's got so much more to his game."

Asked to clarify his handbrake comment, he added: "There's so much more to come from him. It's almost like he's come to Arsenal and he's working his way in, rather than saying 'I'm the man, watch what I can do.' It's like he's working his way into it. I think he's got so much more to give.

"Every time I'm watching him, I'm thinking 'come on Ez, you've got more than this'. He's got what it takes to unlock teams playing a low block - I'm just not seeing him do it enough."

Eze certainly did enough on Sunday and could have scored four goals, had it not been for a good save from Guglielmo Vicario in the closing stages. Having come into the match with two goals in an Arsenal shirt, he now has five to go with three assists in 16 appearances.

"That's a good one man. Enjoyable day. Happy to help the team and to win today was a special," he told Sky Sports. "It's special. I am grateful. I prayed for it. This is what I pray for. I prayed for a hat-trick so I am grateful to God.

"That was the prayer today. God gave it to me and that is faith, man. All my family is here and that makes it even more special for me."