Lee Dixon tells an eye-opening story in the film 89 about being pinned up against the wall of the dressing room by his own team‑mates before his first north London derby. He was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he did not perform in this game of all games he would be in trouble. It is hard to imagine that in the modern game such threats would be part of a pre-match routine, but the words said within the Arsenal camp last week to gee them up for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur certainly had a motivating effect. In the intensity of their play, in their body language, this was a different kind of Arsenal to the one that has a tendency to freeze up and feel the fear creeping in during...
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