Arsene Wenger versus Andr Villas-Boas promises to be an intriguing clash of styles.
Anyone watching the North London derby on Sunday afternoon will see a stark contrast in the managers.
On the Arsenal bench will be Arsene Wenger, now the Premier League’s longest-serving boss and one of the most successful.
The Frenchman, though, hasn’t won a trophy since 2006, and the pressure has been on him these past few weeks like never before.
His well-known reluctance to splash out on transfers has seen the Gunners lose out on several targets over the summer, and the fans have been getting restless.
Wenger’s a big believer in not spending money you don’t have. The problem is that the clubs Arsenal used to match spend big.
Every year turns out to be a scrap for fourth place and a shot at the Champions League mostly, at Tottenham’s expense.
Last season, Spurs attained their highest-ever Premier League points total of 72.
That was manager Andr Villas-Boas’s first season in charge, but it had been a similar story the year before.
That time Spurs did reach fourth, but were denied Champions League football because Chelsea won the trophy and automatically re-qualified even though they finished sixth.
Harry Redknapp was in charge at the time, but was sacked at the end of that season and replaced by Villas-Boas.
Chelsea had viewed him as the new Jose Mourinho, a reputation built on the fact that both had successfully managed Porto.
But then, aged just 33, Villas-Boas found the powerful Chelsea dressing room and the board’s impatience for success just a bit too much too soon.
Many pundits argued that he was lucky to be given a second chance so soon, especially at a big club like Spurs.
But Villas-Boas fitted the profile the Spurs board required, and he was in.
They wanted someone to take charge of team affairs. That’s why he has the title Head Coach.
Villas-Boas just has to prepare the players and win matches.
He got his first break because he lived in the same apartment block as Sir Bobby Robson when he managed Porto, and the former England boss arranged for young Andr to start his coaching qualifications.
There’s a 28-year age gap between the two bosses. On Sunday, Villas-Boas will take up his favourite squatting position while Wenger, or “The Professor”, cuts a much more sedate figure.
It’s just one contrast that makes this battle so fascinating.
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