Gibbs - Spurs defeat was turning point

Kieran Gibbs says last season’s north London derby loss at Tottenham prompted a collective refusal among the Arsenal squad to be defeated again.

The Gunners were beaten 2-1 at White Hart Lane to fall seven points behind their rivals with just 10 games remaining, leading to talk of them being in a “negative spiral”.

However, Arsene Wenger’s side responded brilliantly to win eight matches and draw two in the run-in to claim fourth place.

Gibbs says there was no singular reason behind this turnaround, other than a simple will to win and a desire to overhaul Tottenham.

“It is difficult to know what happened in that transition, but I felt the team went on a kind of a revolt and refused to be defeated again that season,” he told Arsenal Player.

“That is football these days, it changes very quickly and we adapted when it was hard and also when times were better. The team went through that and it has come out stronger.

“We showed a terrific response and hopefully in this last stretch of the season we can show that again. It is important to remember what we did last season.”

Gibbs will have a late test to determine his fitness for Sunday’s match, but he says he is prepared for a hostile reception at White Hart Lane.

“Anywhere is harder when you play away from home, but the fact that we have beaten them twice means they will feel the same about us,” he said.

“It is a difficult place to go for any team, but obviously it will be extra difficult when we go there because of the derby itself. We have to remain composed if possible and go there with a positive attitude.”