Tottenham v Arsenal: Spurs chasing more than just a derby win - Jermaine Jenas

[BoRINg]

Arsenal and Tottenham have met in a few classic cup semi-finals down the years but, in terms of league meetings, Saturday's game is perhaps the biggest north London derby ever.

I know from personal experience that it is a huge occasion anyway, but having both clubs challenging for the Premier League title at this stage of the season adds an incredible edge.

When I was at Tottenham, the games against Arsenal were my favourites to play in even when there was nowhere near as much at stake.

The supporters' rivalry is so intense, you could almost call it hatred, and it would always hit me when I came out to warm up, especially at White Hart Lane where you are so close to the fans.

I had a regular drill where I would get my lungs going by running from side to side of the pitch. Near the touchline you could look into our fans' eyes - their necks would be bulging with the veins sticking out, and they would be screaming things like "get it done today Jenas".

I would be thinking I need to stay in my zone and keep my cool because the key to this game is handling the situation, and having fire in your belly does not always help.

You need that calmness because, when the whistle goes to start the game, the whole place absolutely erupts.

THEN: 'We knew Arsenal had a better team than us'

I had a decent enough record in games against Arsenal but we never finished above them in my eight years at the club between 2005 and 2013.

Tottenham have not done that since 1995, although we came very close in 2006 when we lost out on the final day because of 'Lasagne Gate' - when food poisoning affected the squad.

Apart from that year, it was not something we thought about as players in my time at Spurs because if you were realistic, which we all were, we knew Arsenal had a better team than us. They were going to finish above us, and sometimes you have to accept that.

As a player, I knew about stuff like 'St Totteringham's Day' - the day that Arsenal fans celebrate when Spurs can no longer mathematically finish above them.

Like I say, it did not really bother us. When we played them, we would always just focus on the game, rather than where we were compared to them in the table.

We would approach it with the view that the game was so important that we had to make sure our fans were proud of us and were able to walk into work on Monday with their heads held high.

That is where Spurs have evolved because now it is not just about this game, they are chasing something bigger.

Whatever their manager Mauricio Pochettino says to the media, the mentality of everyone at the club will be that they are chasing the league title, and they will believe they can win it.