Ange Postecoglou vows to 'scare life out of Arsenal' in north London derby
- Tottenham meet Arsenal on Sunday in the north London derby
- Spurs have enjoyed an excellent start under Postecoglou
- Unbeaten Arsenal will provide Postecoglou with his toughest test to date
By Tom Gott
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has insisted he will not change anything about his tactics heading into the north London derby, vowing to "scare the life" out of Arsenal.
Spurs have been one of the Premier League's top sides this season, sitting second in the standings with four wins and one draw from Postecoglou's first five league games in charge.
With recent victories coming over Bournemouth, Burnley and Sheffield United, Postecoglou was asked whether he would need to do anything different tactically to prepare for a threat like Arsenal.
"In terms of the way we play, we're not changing, mate," he told a fans' forum. "We'll go out and scare the life out of them."
The game will be Postecoglou's first taste of the north London derby but the Spurs boss is no stranger to high-profile rivalries, having led Celtic to six wins from a possible 11 against Old Firm rivals Rangers.
"I'm well aware of obviously the [north London] rivalry and you take that into account because it means so much to supporters," he explained.
"Being Celtic manager, there really was only one result the supporters were interested in. Every time I opened my door, I could tell if the Amazon guy was a Rangers or Celtic supporter, depending on how he delivered the package! He either threw it at me or wanted a selfie! So you understand that.
"I love that, that's the beauty of the game. It's the passion it brings. People feel like their football club is an extension of their family and they want to protect that, want to make sure every week when they go into battle we come out victors, particularly against our rivals.
"It's a big game, a great test for us as a group, particularly away from home. We've already had great challenges away from home. I'm excited by it, I'm looking forward to it. That's why we do what we do.
"We want to be involved in big games, overcome the challenges before us. We'll go there and play our football and see where that takes us."