Ange Postecoglou praised Arsenal’s consistency and mentality ahead of Sunday’s north London derby.
The Gunners will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to face Spurs in a fixture that Postecoglou knows will be tough, but a great opportunity for his side.
He acknowledged the rivalry and the importance of the result to the fans, while praising an Arsenal side that have come so close to winning the Premier League in the previous two seasons.
“[Arsenal have] consistency in their approach, their mentality, the last two years they’ve had a real relentlessness about them. There’s a solid core in their team and that gives you belief over time.
“In every game, they feel they can win. They have this confidence in themselves now that they can challenge over the course of a Premier league season.
“That allows them to build momentum season on season – they’re going to be a tough nut to crack but this is a great opportunity for us to do that.”
Postecoglou will be hoping to secure his first north London Derby victory as Tottenham head coach this weekend.
“Every derby is a bit different. It’s fairly intense between the two clubs, and geographically, they’re trying to defend the same turf.
“I thought both games last year were very entertaining. We know what it means to our supporters and the club and we’ve got to go out there and perform. Irrespective of the rivalry, they’re a top side.
“There’s no easy way to success. One game doesn’t change the trajectory. It’s wouldn’t just be a win in a derby but it’s against one of the top sides and that could inject some real momentum into our season.
“We want to be a club who can challenge everyone, that’s what we’re trying to aim to become.
“There are challenges that inevitably come over the course of the season.
“But we’ve started the season solidly from a performance perspective. Obviously the results haven’t reflected that, but I think we’re in a good place to really push on from last year and improve in all areas of our game.”
On Tottenham’s season, Postecoglou remains positive his team are heading in the right direction and he feels his side are ready for the derby at this early stage in the season.
Postecoglou added: “You don’t start a race and think you’re going to start sprinting at 10 metres. You’ve got to be ready whenever it comes, and we will be.
“Results come sooner rather than later. We’ve got to stay consistent in our approach. We dominated all three games. Results haven’t come but if we maintain that over 38 games we’ll be in a good position. We got to keep at it. Stay focused on the important elements of our game.
“I don’t think I learned anything that I already knew [from last season]. I will never go into a game not wanting to win. I will try and win every game I play.”
