It’s fair to say that the two north London clubs are making headlines at the moment.
Tottenham are sitting pretty on six points after the first two Premier League games, while Arsenal are 19th, having lost both of their games, failing to score a single goal.
Inevitably, Arsenal’s poor start to the season has led to Mikel Arteta coming under pressure, and according to The Telegraph he may have just five games to save his job.
As ever, the footballing gods have thrown up an incredibly ironic situation for the Gunners, as five games from now is the first north London derby of the season, and if things haven’t changed between now and then, a loss to Tottenham could be the final nail in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal coffin.
It will be so cruel if Arteta’s final game in charge of the Gunners is the north London derby, but if The Telegraph’s report is true, it’s a very real possibility.
We hate to kick the Gunners while they’re down, but the reality is that it’s going to be hard for Arteta to turn things around in the coming weeks.
Their next Premier League game is away at the Etihad, and winning there is an almost impossible task for even the best teams in this league.
Yes, Norwich and West Brom represent two easier tasks, but a trip to Turf Moor won’t be welcomed in mid-September as the Clarets are a club the Gunners have consistently struggled to get the better of in recent years, not winning against Sean Dyche’s side since August 2019.
Of course, Arsenal could turn things around and win their four games between now and the north London derby, but It’s not ridiculous to suggest that Arteta’s Arsenal future may be heavily dependent on whether or not he can beat Tottenham on September 26th, and that’s a cruel reality.
Even if the Spaniard gets everything right against Tottenham, these derby games are so often just a lottery and come down to who wants it more on the day, and with a full crowd back in for one of these fixtures for the first time in almost two years, it’s going to be a raucous occasion where the tactical battle may be put to one side.
The fate of Arteta’s future may lie in Spurs’ hands, and therefore, the fate of the Gunners’ season may lie in their biggest rivals’ hands.
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