I would not as far as to say that the next Arsenal game was an absolutely crucial one, especially when you look at the Premier League fixtures coming up after next weekend, but a north London derby is always a massive game for the players and fans and we really do not want to lose it and drop behind Tottenham in the league table, however briefly.
Also the last thing we want is to give the spuds a boost in their own attempt to finish in the top four, with their next game against Liverpool at Anfield while we have a home tie with bottom of the tanle Leicester City. So a draw would be a decent result for Arsenal at White Hart Lane, especially with the spuds being on a decent run themselves.
They surprised everyone by beating Chelsea on new years day and that should give Arsene Wenger and the players fair warning that we face a tough test, but we are in the perfect shape for this game. It was great for the Gunners to score five past Aston Villa, especially with Ozil and Walcott scoring again, but I think that another claen sheet was just as important.
With the manager having found the formula for these big away games and the players having the confidence to apply his new tactics, Arsenal will head down the road in great spirits. And with the spuds needing the win more than we do, I can see us doing the sort of job on them that we did to Man City, especially if Alexis is back as expected.
After beating them three times last season, are we heaed for another derby win on Saturday?