The win against Tottenham should be the start of something good rather than the opposite
Arsenal deservedly took all three points against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, which capped-off a brilliant week for the Gunners. However, they should continue to build on such wins rather than stumble, which has been the case countless times this campaign.
Last time out, Arsenal advanced to the Round of 16 of the Europa League by beating Benfica. Mikel Arteta’s men then defeated Leicester City away from home to cap off an impressive week.
However, their bid to finish in the European places in the league took a serious hit after they drew with Burnley 1-1. Although the Gunners’ have been unbeaten in Europe this season, what has followed after that has made their own tasks difficult.
Before the North-London derby, Arsenal had won just 6 of the 8 league games that they played after a Europa League fixture.
The victory last night was a victory for Mikel Arteta as much as it was for Arsenal. Spurs didn’t deserve anything from the game against their London rivals and the manager certainly deserves the utmost of credit for it.
Dropping Aubameyang and subsequently losing the derby would have severed his intangible ties with the fans. However, he proved his point with an impressive win against Mourinho’s team, who had lost only two games against Arsenal in his whole career.
“For me, [off-field standards] are the foundation and the platform that we can build something medium and long-term that is sustainable and that can bring us joy and happiness,” said the Spaniard after the match (via Arsenal.com).
“Without that, I don’t believe that it would happen. That’s why I keep talking about it and acting about it.”
Spurs still hold the upper hand in the table, but this was a serious blow to their hopes of gate-crashing the top-four conversation.
Arteta strengthened his convictions about his “project” going “bang” in the months ahead. That bold claim needs tangible evidence to look credible. And in the match against Tottenham, it did. But Arteta should be wary that his side now come up against West Ham and Liverpool, two teams fighting for a top-four spot.
Lose those, and the pressure will be back sooner than expected.
Yash Bisht
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