"FOR ME, beauty is efficiency," declared Arsene Wenger, Arsenal's recently appointed French manager, yesterday as he approached his first North London derby. That being so it was tempting to wonder why George Graham's side never won the Miss World contest.
Take away Dennis Bergkamp and David Platt and much of what remains at Wenger's disposal is Graham's old team. Bruce Rioch's management was merely an interlude. Tomorrow's game at Highbury between Arsenal and Tottenham will be largely fought out by old sweats well versed in the passions and tantrums that this fixture can provoke.
Arsenal have not beaten Tottenham since Gerry Francis took over two years ago. Their last win was at White Hart Lane in August 1993. Tottenham have not lost at Highbury since December 1991.
Tomorrow's match has an added piquancy because Arsenal could be in a position to go top once more while Spurs, after four victories in five Premier League games, should be in just the right mood to frustrate them yet again.
These encounters are habitually dour, but the presence in the Arsenal team, not only of Bergkamp and Ian Wright, but Patrick Vieira, the 20 year old French midfielder signed from Milan at Wenger's instigation, promise's something better. Wright, the Premiership's leading scorer with 15 goals, has already praised Vieira's influence.
"What is creative?" Wenger asked a reporter who remarked on the creative touches that Vieira has brought to an Arsenal team starved for so long of this type of vision and passing ability. "For me being creative is scoring goals. That is creative.
"That is why, for me, beauty is efficiency. It is not about making nice movements. Vieira is an efficient player. The crowd love him because he does the right thing at the right moment, not because he's beautiful to watch.
"I see players who do wonderful things outside a game, but once in a match they are disasters because they cannot do them when they are needed."
Wenger took over a winning Arsenal side six weeks ago and so far has seen them lose only once in seven games, last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Manchester United. He accepted the job fully aware of the squad's record for anti social behaviour off the field and the growing feeling among commentators that in certain areas, especially defence the team was growing old together.
None of this, not even the fact that two of the most crucial players - Tony Adams, the captain, and. Paul Merson are both confirmed alcoholics appears to have disturbed Wenger. In fact the Arsenal he talked about yesterday could have been playing in the Ivy League. "The real revelation of a player's character is not in his social life " he insisted, "you have to look at how, he plays. In social life I can hide my real personality, but when I'm playing I show my real self because it's important for me to win and it shows how much I'm ready to observe the rules. You see the real character of a player not off the field but on it.
"When you argue with the referee you are not concentrating on the game and you lose two or three seconds. I know that sometimes a player needs to release his frustration. It depends on the personality. Maybe Ian Wright sometimes needs to say something - I don't know what he says - in order to be better in the next move.
Arsenal have already collected 32 bookings this season in the Premiership alone only Chelsea, with 35 have more. But Wenger has clearly been impressed by the squad's professionalism, surprised by the technical ability at the back and praises, the way the players have responded to coaching methods which have been foreign to them in more than one sense.
"It's more easy for me, I'm used to my methods," he said. "But the players have had to adapt and change their mentality. I have a deep respect for my squad. We have an experienced team. Some people say that we have an old team, but the mental side must still be young because these players are ready to take on anybody to win games. For me that is being professional. It's not just about playing one or two games a week. You need a special attitude."
Tactically polarised Wenger and Francis may be, but they clearly are as one in what they expect from their teams in terms of commitment and character. Not that either side will need motivating tomorrow.
Yesterday Wenger tried to play down the derby nature of tomorrow's fixture. "I'm aware of the rivalry that exists," he said, "but beating Tottenham because they are Tottenham must not become too important. The best way for us to win is to concentrate on technique and tactics.
"If I am driving in a Formula One race I have to concentrate on the next bend, I can't be thinking about having an accident." Not the happiest of analogies, given Arsenal's past record behind the wheel, but we knew what he meant.