Arsenal have steamrollered Tottenham’s season in their charge to seize back third place.
How have they done it? We refer you back to our title question, what do Arsenal have and Tottenham lack?
One word: Belief.
When Arsenal rose up from 2-0 down to demolish their rivals 5-2 last month it was like they flicked a switch.
Instantly they had wiped out the belief that it had taken Harry Redknapp and Tottenham months to build up.
Players had heard fans speaking for months, telling them that they were now the number one team in North London, and after their 2-1 victory in September, they were entitled to believe it.
Suddenly all the positivity around White Hart Lane has been wiped out, compounded by frustrating losses to Manchester United, Everton, and only last night narrowly scraping a home draw to Stoke.
Tottenham do not look like a side with belief, even Harry Redknapp’s press conference last Friday where he admitted that the club could miss out on the Champions League places smacked of defeatism. He was adamant too that they would not miss out, but to even mention it as a possibility showed his pledge was laced with bravado and racked with self-doubt.
The match last month was just the tonic Arsenal needed, 10 days after a galling 4-0 loss to AC Milan.
Their performance was one they dragged out of themselves, with Bacary Sagna, and Theo Walcott key catalysts.
The win got supporters buzzing and gave the players a new found belief. The win against Newcastle was evident of that, a game they would likely have drawn before, and they even got close to overhauling their 4-0 deficit against Milan.
Being able to hold off Everton last night, was part do with Everton’s blunt edge in attack, but more to do with Arsenal’s determination, that they would not be beaten.
The club have key players back from injury, fresh for the run-in, while Tottenham are racked with injuries as well as poor form.
Compounded by a manager who does not know where his future lies, the club is consumed with worry.
The fans feel the disengagement, in a poll on our website last week, 58 per cent of supporters said they wanted Redknapp gone next season. It is no exaggeration to suggest that the players have also been affected by the manager’s wavering commitment.
Look back at Manchester United’s troubles in the early part of the last decade when Sir Alex Ferguson announced he was retiring, for further evidence.
Losing third spot is one thing, but if Tottenham do not get their belief back quickly, and hold off a renewed Chelsea challenge for the fourth spot, then it could be meltdown at the Lane in the summer.
It is not over yet, just one result can give a club back their belief, just ask Arsenal. But Tottenham need a spark soon, preferably as quickly as possible.
It will be a topsy turvy race, and Spurs can haul it back and finish third, but right now, Arsenal are in pole position.
image: © wonker
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
