Wenger: Yes, I can lose it if we lose

By NEIL ASHTON

Last updated at 21:59 14 September 2007

For a man who is usually so measured in his approach, even Arsene Wenger admits

that he can overstep the mark.

As opposition managers can

testify, there is no telling what

can happen when Wenger loses

his cool — and Premier League

passions will certainly be

reignited when he takes his team

to White Hart Lane for the north

London derby this lunchtime.

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Martin Jol is among a number

of managers who have been toeto-

toe on the touchline with the

usually mild-mannered and

much-admired Arsenal chief, but

Wenger concedes he finds it

difficult to keep his emotions in

check.

Wenger, who has not been

beaten by Tottenham in the past

15 derbies, said: "I am never in

good health after losing.

"When

you are 3-0 up with five minutes

to go then you can relax, but in

England you can relax less in the

final part of the game than anybody

else. Teams never give up.

"Your emotions are linked with

your health. I read somewhere

that I take defeat in a difficult

way, but how else can you take it?

"You should not be in this job

unless it hurts to lose a match. If it does not hurt you then you

will not survive in this job.

"The

players are the same. There are

periods when you can hide things

quite well and periods when you

can hide less.

"I've forgotten

about specific defeats, but I

always feel terrible because every

defeat at a club is a crisis. I want

to achieve as much as I can."

Arsenal are settled snugly

behind Liverpool at the top of the

table but they have not won the

Premier League title since the

"Invincibles" swept all before

them in 2004 — and Wenger is

under pressure, much of it self-imposed,

to reclaim the crown.

Also under pressure is Jol, who

insists that the gap between his

side and Arsenal is not great.

Failure to defeat their rivals

at White Hart Lane in eight

attempts suggests otherwise.

There were suggestions before

the start of the season that Spurs

could force their way into the top

four, but early form has been disappointing.

Yet, Jol is convinced

he can do a similar job to Wenger,

if given the chance. "With the

same continuity, I will do the

same. That is what I have said all

along," he insisted.

"It depends on

a few little things, a bigger

stadium, turnover, wages. But we

are doing fine with the tools we

have got.

"The year before we were fourth

in the League for six or seven

months and we were above Arsenal,

so I think we are pretty close.

"Last year, they didn't have the

best of seasons and we ended up

with 60 points, I don't think it is a

big gap. It's more of a gap to

United and Chelsea, but not with

Arsenal.

"You have to beat big teams to

do well otherwise we will always

be in the top five or six. But that's

not enough. We want to do better."

Unfortunately, gatecrashing the

top four may already be beyond

Spurs. Victory over Arsenal could

convince Spurs chiefs that Jol

can still be the man to achieve

their objectives.

But defeat to

their arch rivals may see the

board decide Jol has had all the

continuity he is going to get.