Jermaine Jenas claimed on MOTD2 (BBC One, 26/9, 22:50) that he could see in the Arsenal players’ eyes before kick-off they wanted to win on Sunday more than Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners hosted their north London rivals at the Emirates Stadium with the two sides in contrasting form. After losing their opening three Premier League matches, Mikel Arteta’s side have won three-in-a-row. Whereas Spurs have lost three-in-a-row after winning three.
Nuno Espirito Santos’ men also now sit below Arteta’s in the standings after topping the table following their unbeaten start. Tottenham seemed void of an understanding of their manager’s plans on Sunday, as Arsenal overran their neighbours to win 3-1.
Did Arsenal want it more than Tottenham?
For Jenas, the signs of an Arsenal win over his former side, Tottenham, were clear even before kick-off on Sunday. He felt the Gunners wanted the result more than their rivals, who did not understand the importance of the fixture.
The ex-Spurs star also noted how the Gunners’ difficult start has helped them to bond and come together. While Arteta deserved the plaudits for how he has turned things around.
“This group of players and manager have suffered a lot,” Jenas said. “They’ve been ridiculed at times during this season, and this is a really special moment for the manager and players. Through that suffering they’ve come together, he’s worked with his players and you could see that today.
“You could see in that performance that it mattered to them. The minute they walked out the tunnel, I could see in their eyes, in those Arsenal players’ eyes, that they understand what this fixture meant. A lot more than Tottenham and they went on to prove that.
“And with the young players that they’ve got and the way that he’s got them organised, you’ve got to give full credit to Arteta here. How he’s managed to turn things turned around and get everybody, including the fans, back on side. They were absolutely brilliant.”
Was Sunday the kickstart Arteta needed?
Arteta will hope Sunday was the kickstart Arsenal needed to truly restart their season after their early struggles this term. Like Jenas notes, the Gunners played with a determination to win that Tottenham lacked, rallying together to get the result.
Arsenal ended their horrid record of three-straight defeats without scoring against Norwich City then Burnley before hosting Tottenham. But the manner of their performance against the Canaries and Clarets was far from as convincing as it was Sunday.
The Gunners blitzed their rivals in an emphatic first-half, as Arteta stuck to his long-term plan of trusting youth. Players, in Bukayo Saka and Emil Smith Rowe, raised in Hale End and who understood the fixture. An aspect Jenas felt Tottenham lacked, but Arsenal got right.
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