Ahead of this weekend's North London derby, one of the ultimate insults were dropped towards Tottenham Hotspur before the clash against Arsenal
Patrick Austen-Hardy Senior Sports Journalist
12:52, 20 Feb 2026Updated 12:55, 20 Feb 2026
Alan Shearer speaking in an interview
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Alan Shearer was ruthless in his verdict on this weekend's North London Derby(Image: YouTube/The Rest is Football)
Alan Shearer brutally excluded all Tottenham Hotspur players from his north London derby combined XI with Arsenal. New Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor's first test is a showdown with Mikel Arteta's side on Sunday.
The Croatian's first match will likely be the biggest of his temporary spell, given the implications for both sides.
Tottenham can disrupt their fiercest rival's Premier League title ambitions even more, while the Gunners can push the Lilywhites towards the relegation zone.
Arsenal go into the contest in poor form, having let leads slip away to Brentford and, most painfully, away to rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Nevertheless, Shearer does not think any of the current Spurs cohort are good enough to make Arsenal's team right now.
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The Newcastle United legend was asked to name a combined eleven featuring players from both teams. Instead of amalgamating players from both sides, he simply named a classic Arsenal starting XI.
His starting XI was made up of: David Raya, Jurrien Timber, William Salbia, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
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This may not be completely surprising, given the cavern between the two north London heavyweights. Arsenal are five-points clear at the top of the Premier League, while Tottenham are five points away from the relegation zone.
Some may be surprised even Micky van de Ven of Tottenham did not creep into Shearer's starting XI. Nevertheless, the Premier League's record goalscorer do go on to pile the pressure on Arsenal's shoulders.
Mikel Arteta Manager / Head Coach of Arsenal looks dejected during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal at Molineux on February 18, 2026 in Wolverhampton, England
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Arteta looked shell-shocked after Arsenal allowed a two-goal lead to slip against Wolverhampton Wanderers(Image: 2026 Catherine Ivill - AMA)
Speaking in an interview with Betfair, the Newcastle United legend said: "Arsenal have to win the game. I mean, it's pretty simple. It would be a disaster if they didn't.
"They're not in great form, losing a 2-0 lead in the way they did against Wolves, they go into it under huge pressure. It might even be more if City beat Newcastle on Saturday night.
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"But Spurs give me no confidence, even with the new manager bounce, that they would hope that they're going to get. So I'm going to say an Arsenal away win.”
Defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could have a catastrophic effect on Arsenal's title hopes.
While they are five-points ahead, this would be cut down to just two, if City win their game-in-hand. Pep Guardiola's side host Newcastle United in their respective match.
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