Ahead of the highly-anticipated north London derby, like the numerous managers who have come before him, Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou vows to ‘scare the life’ out of Arsenal.

In the lead-up to Sunday’s north London derby, Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has declared his intent to unsettle Arsenal with an aggressive attacking style.

Tottenham Hotspur's Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou looks on during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on September 16, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur’s Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou looks on during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on September 16, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal and Tottenham clash on Sunday, in a game eagerly awaited by fans of both clubs as a chance to lay down a marker for bragging rights in the season ahead.

Both teams are in fine form, boasting an undefeated streak in the league and accumulating 13 points from five matches.

Ahead of the match, Ange Postecoglou, the 7th Tottenham Hotspur manager to take charge of the club since Mikel Arteta was appointed manager at Arsenal, has announced his ambition to ‘scare the life’ out of Arsenal in his first North London derby.

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news

Asked about copying another manager’s style, Postecoglou said, “I spent a week at City when I first got the Yokohama job. I observed training and you could see then how passionate Mikel was about the game.

“We’re not close. I’m 58, he’s whatever. I’ve had 26 years [in management], he’s five years into it. I’m not sure how he’s got a great head of hair! He’s a lot fitter than I am. I don’t know, mate, there’s not a lot of threads I can join between us,” he added.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, thanks the fans following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, thanks the fans following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“Even in the way his team plays. Yes, he does have a very attacking philosophy but it’s different from mine and that’s the beauty of the game,” Postecoglou continued.

“If you’re an artist and you see a Picasso, yeah, you can copy it, but it’s not going to be a Picasso, is it? It’s the same with football,” he explained.

“In terms of the way we play, we’re not changing, mate. We’ll go out and scare the life out of them,” Postecoglou warned.

“If we shy away from it, don’t play our football, manage to get a draw and survive the experience, what have we really learned? Apart from surviving 90 minutes of football? Nothing. We’re going to go out and play our football,” he added.

The clash becomes more intriguing following Arsenal’s recent 4-0 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

PSV also came to attack Arsenal.

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news