Mauricio Pochettino was uncharacteristically bristly when asked about Tottenham's hopes of finishing above Arsenal.
"I don't care about Arsenal, I want to win the league, I want to be on top -- but Arsenal, I do not care about," he said.
Pochettino was speaking after Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Southampton and before Arsenal's draw at Manchester City, which left second-place Spurs just two points clear of their rivals going into the final day of the season.
Arsenal will surely beat wretched and relegated Aston Villa but Spurs have a vastly superior goal difference, and a point at Newcastle should be enough to secure North London supremacy for the first time in over two decades.
Pochettino's side are already assured a top-three finish -- their highest in the Premier League -- and a place in the Champions League. Second place will have no impact on their European seeding and the difference in prize money is fractional.
But Spurs fans do care. A lot.
"After all we've done this season, after the way we've played, if we finish below them, it's... I can't even consider it. It means everything. It's bigger than the FA Cup final this weekend. We have to get a result. We have to finish above them. There's no solace in third place. It has to happen," says Gary Flavell, host of The Fighting Cock podcast.
Why, though? There is deep-rooted animosity in North London, dating back to Arsenal's relocation from Woolwich, south of the river, in 1913, and local bragging rights are important.
"I wasn't a local lad but within days of joining the club, I realised the importance of the rivalry," Gary Mabbutt, the last Tottenham captain to finish above Arsenal in 1995 season, told ESPN FC.
"Since I've been at the club, playing against Arsenal has always been the biggest game of the season. No matter what you do during that season, if you manage to beat Arsenal, the fans will forgive you."
Harry Kane insists the players "know what it means" to the supporters, and Flavell -- who grew up in Holloway, Arsenal territory -- explains: "Part of supporting Tottenham is about hating Arsenal. They're going to be unbearable if we finish below them but likewise we'd be unbearable if we finish above them."
Before Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996, the clubs had enjoyed comparable post-War success but the Frenchman changed that, guiding the Gunners to 18 consecutive league finishes above Spurs, despite several near misses.
A dodgy lasagne ended Spurs' hopes in 2005-06, while Harry Redknapp's team blew a 10 point lead over the Gunners in 2011-12. Andre Villas-Boas' Spurs squandered a seven-point advantage the following season.
More of the same on Sunday would be particularly galling because of this season's contrasting narratives: Spurs as united, hungry title challengers; Arsenal as mentally-fragile 'bottlers,' collapsing as usual after Christmas.
"If you've been challenging for the title for 36 games, you need to finish second -- it's about the position. It would be grim if we finish behind Arsenal in what has been, by their own admission, a mediocre season for them. We've played the best football in the country and we were the better team in both North London derbies," says Kat Law, co-chair of The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust.
Mabbutt agrees: "For this season to be seen as successful, it's imperative that we finish above Arsenal. Not to would put a dampener on everything."
There is also a case that the psychological impact of finishing below Arsenal would be hard to bare but if history repeats itself on Sunday, there are reasons for Spurs to be positive.
Pochettino is set to sign a new five-year contract, and the club boasts the youngest squad in the Premier League and a state-of-the-art training centre. Work has begun on a new £400 million stadium, which chairman Daniel Levy claims will be "one of the finest in the world."
"You can't be shortsighted and say: 'If we finish above Arsenal then everything is hunky-dory.' Because it's not. If Arsenal finish eighth and we finish sixth, it won't have been a great season," says Mabbutt.
His former Spurs teammate Micky Hazard agrees, telling ESPN FC: "Whatever the outcome on Sunday, we've had a brilliant season. Finishing above Arsenal is not the be all and end all. We want to finish above everyone -- and that's the mentality Mauricio is trying to install. Let other people worry about Spurs, rather than us worrying about them."
If Spurs lose at St. James' Park, the fans will also see the bigger picture.
"I could deal with it. Spurs fans are built with this sort of thing. This season has been immense -- progression is inevitable. We'll be fine. As a Spurs fan, you have to see beyond not finishing above Arsenal. That said, I think we will," says Flavell.
Law adds: "When the dust settles, Tottenham fans will recognise we've had a great season whatever happens.
"The big difference between Tottenham and Arsenal is the huge disconnect between their fans and their club. At Tottenham, there's togetherness and unity -- we're already surpassing them. It's only a matter of time."