Arsenal v Tottenham: Spurs legend David Ginola gives his verdict on the derby



Former Tottenham icon David Ginola, who was named Footballer of the Year during his three-year spell at White Hart Lane, offers his personal guide to Saturday's showdown at the Emirates:



Nasri v Van der Vaart : The key battle

You can see that Nasri is growing up and becoming the perfect example of the French style, which is about flair, touch and technique.



The key battle: Nasri (left) and Van der Vaart have enjoyed impressive campaigns



He plays with his head up so knows where the next pass is. It is too soon to say he is ready to be like Zinedine Zidane but in France we have a tradition of players of this kind, who make you jump out of your seat. He always had the talent but you could see at Wembley on Wednesday that he is maturing - he understands the game better and everything seems easy for him. I think he is the complete midfielder and the best player of his generation in France.



Tottenham have their own outstanding player - Rafael van der Vaart. They should be pleased to have him and so should the Barclays Premier League. He will get even better over the next months.

Tottenham now have so many attacking options so I have to say this is the best Tottenham team I have seen. I believe they can win the league, not this season but in the next few years.



Pitbull memories

When I played in north London derbies, oh my God, the tackles came in from everywhere. If I got away from Dixon then I had Keown, if I got away from Keown I had Winterburn. They wanted to destroy me.

Best of enemies: Ginola admits he and Dixon laugh over their former rivalry

I wanted to caress the ball but there was no way anyone could do that. Lee Dixon and I laugh about it now but it was not funny at the time, it was frightening. He was like a pitbull, he just wanted to bite me. But I think the north London derby has changed, there is more chance to show some flair.



People don't pay to see holding midfielders

I admire Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger because they play attacking players. Too many managers refuse to take risks, they just want to feel secure. They think they have to play two holding midfielders. Wenger and Redknapp know that the best way to defend is to keep the ball.



Football should not be about feeling secure. If you have attacking players who are comfortable with the ball, as Arsenal and Spurs do, then you keep it for long periods and the opposition will tire.



Fabregas and Nasri are the players people want to pay to see, not holding midfielders. Or anyway this is the football I want to watch.



My prediction Spurs to win 3-2.

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