(Football news) The Gunners have had a week to reflect on their lackluster performance against Newcastle United earlier in the month, while the Lilywhites have had two weeks to recover after their five-star annihilation of West London’s Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Spurs will have two weeks off between Sunday’s North London derby and their most recent match, which took place on April 13, when the Lilywhites’ lackluster performance at St. James’ Park severely damaged their hopes of finishing in the top four. This is a huge rarity at this point in a hectic campaign. Thanks to Manchester City’s participation in the FA Cup’s later stages.
With the North East contest pitting two sides who have struggled massively with inconsistency this season, it was Newcastle who managed a positive day at the expense of Spurs, with Alexander Isak’s brace – alongside strikes from Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar – sealing a 4-0 win for Eddie Howe’s Magpies.
Since that defeat a fortnight ago, Champions League-chasing rivals Aston Villa have recorded back-to-back wins over Arsenal and Bournemouth to extend their advantage on Ange Postecoglou’s men to six points, but the Lilywhites crucially have played two games fewer than Unai Emery’s troops.
Consequently, it is needless to say that Spurs cannot afford any more poor performances if they wish to bring Postecoglou’s full-throttle football to Europe’s premier stage next season – a brief that appears extremely difficult considering that the Gunners, Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Citizens are still to come before the campaign’s end.
With Harry Kane now battling away for Champions League glory in Bavaria with Bayern Munich, Son Heung-min is the last-remaining North London derby legend for the Lilywhites ahead of Sunday’s clash, with the South Korean netting seven goals and providing two assists versus Arsenal over the years, including a brilliant brace earlier in the season to force a share of the spoils.
Following successive defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, there were plenty of concerns that Arsenal’s season was about to capitulate at a critical moment, although Mikel Arteta’s men are back on track after convincing wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea in the Premier League.
A London derby on Tuesday night had some of the ingredients of a potential slip-up for the Gunners as Mauricio Pochettino’s side visited to the Emirates, but a pair of braces from Ben White and Kai Havertz – as well as Leandro Trossard’s opener – sealed a 5-0 success against the Blues, representing Arsenal biggest-ever victory over Chelsea.
Following Manchester City’s 4-0 thumping of Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday night, Arsenal’s lead at the summit of the Premier League standings stands at a single point ahead of Guardiola’s double-chasing Citizens, who are showing no signs of weakness as the title race approaches its dramatic conclusion.
Because of this, you get the impression that Arsenal’s chances of stopping Man City from winning a record-breaking fourth consecutive English title will be slim to none, with games against Spurs, Bournemouth, Manchester United, and Sean Dyche’s Everton looming before the conclusion of the season.
The lack of a natural striker for the Gunners this season has drawn a lot of attention, but Havertz’s incredible play in the Champions League has put that conversation on hold. With 11 goals in the top division so far this season, the German has put the issue to rest.
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