Flamini - A derby match has electricity

Mathieu Flamini says derby matches have a special ingredient that is “a power, an energy, an electricity and something that drives you crazy”.

The French midfielder scored twice earlier in the season as the Gunners beat rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup.

The two clubs meet again on Sunday in the north London derby, and Flamini says the match will be special for everyone involved.

“It is difficult to explain… it is something you want to experience because any words won’t explain how you feel,” he told Arsenal Player.

“It is a power, an energy, an electricity and something that drives you crazy. When you are on the pitch, I am talking about adrenaline and it’s exactly that. Some people jump from a plane to get this adrenaline, others go to the stadium. It is something you want to experience, not just see on TV.

“The ingredients [of a great rivalry] is first of all a winning mentality. When you play against a rival, what you want most of all is to win it. After, of course the fans are very much involved because they are part of it, you want to win and you play against another big club with a lot of history and you want to prove that you are better than the other one.

“It is important to remember the past, because if you don’t know anything about it how do you know where you want to go?

“You have to take into consideration what happened before, the history of both clubs… all of that helps you understand the mindset you need to be in, and how important the game is, and how much you need to want to win it.”