Arsenal have dominated Tottenham for 20 years - we're not underdogs, says Arsene Wenger despite trailing rivals

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There was a rather amusing scene on Thursday when Arsene Wenger denied he had a bandage on a sore elbow, only to be told with some awkwardness that it had been visible during his press briefing.

That's just the way it can be with Arsenal's manager, who has made an art form out of refusing to show weakness or pain, even when the evidence is right there, strapped to his own arm. Or printed on a league table, for instance.

That's where the meaningful pain comes for Arsenal, and it is in its sharpest focus right now, on the eve of Saturday's neighbourly squabble with Tottenham.

Arsene Wenger says 20 years of dominance over Tottenham means Arsenal are not underdogs

Arsenal have gone through their paces before hosting Tottenham in Saturday's early kick-off

For all the world it appears that the balance of power in that rivalry has finally shifted to Spurs, who finished ahead of Arsenal for the first time in 22 years last season and also hold a four-point advantage this time.

But credit to Wenger for at least putting up a fight ahead of their collision at the Emirates Stadium, sniffing at the notion that Arsenal are 'underdogs'. He stopped short of any provocative talk because privately and publicly he is known to admire what Mauricio Pochettino is achieving.

However, there was also a notable suggestion that Spurs still have something major to prove, namely that they have the 'nerve' to get across the line.

League position is one thing, but silverware is quite another and it is not lost on anyone at Arsenal that they have won two FA Cups in the three years that Pochettino has been at Spurs — who are yet to punctuate their rapid progress with a trophy.

Wenger said: 'You must keep your nerves and get the players to focus on what is important. And at some stage, you fight a little bit against your inhibitions — the fear that you won't get over the line.

'Basically you need to focus on what is important and not focus on the trophy too much. 

Wenger says Arsenal have no fear about coming up against Tottenham's Harry Kane

'You always have anxiety. It is always difficult to finish a job. I don't know (how far away it is for Tottenham), and honestly it is not my main worry. It is up to us to get over the line and win trophies and it is not easy. It is difficult in the game to win trophies.'

That Arsenal have done it against the backdrop of major disgruntlement among their supporters is quite something.

When it was put to Wenger that Arsenal had been dominant for a 'long time', he interrupted to say: 'For 20 years.' He then refuted the suggestion that Arsenal were underdogs against Spurs.

'No, not at all,' he said. 'I think Tottenham are a good side but we have the quality to win this game and that's what we want to show. We have an opportunity to show we are the strongest, so let's do it.'

The league table last season makes its own argument, with Tottenham second and Arsenal fifth, but Wenger added: 'We won the FA Cup and we made 75 points so overall I think our achievement was quite positive even if it was a disappointment for us not to finish in the Champions League for the first time in 21 years. 

Wenger is confident Arsenal can keep Harry Kane quiet in Saturday's encounter 

'The players were disappointed but not to finish below Tottenham. Finishing outside the top four was a disappointment, because it was the first time in the history of the Premier League that with 75 points you don't finish in the top four. People forget we won the FA Cup in a stylish way, playing against City in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final.'

There was a more sober note for Wenger on Thursday in discussing the achilles tendon injury suffered by Santi Cazorla. He has not played since October 2016 and nearly lost his foot to gangrene.

Wenger called it 'the worst injury I have known', but is optimistic that Cazorla will return in January.

He said: 'I really feel sorry for what has happened to him. I hope he comes back in January.'