One of the duties of writing for Just Arsenal is to meticulously sift through the day’s news for Arsenal-related stories that we believe might pique the interest of our readers.
Today, while performing this task, I encountered various headlines featuring the name Tottenham, and it quickly became apparent to me that, in some circles, they are now being considered as potential title contenders.
For instance, The Manchester Evening News featured this headline: “Man City’s next six Premier League fixtures compared to Tottenham, Arsenal, and other rivals.” While it’s possible they did this for clickbait purposes, it’s worth noting that they did not include Liverpool in the headline, even though Liverpool tends to generate more clicks, as our analytics have demonstrated.
What this headline suggests to me is that some are now taking Tottenham seriously as contenders. This led me to ponder whether it would be unwise to underestimate them.
It’s quite simple to dismiss Tottenham because of their lack of recent silverware and the “Spursy” tag has become synonymous with their perceived inconsistency. But is this dismissal merely a result of tribalism?
I can recall the beginning of last season when no one gave Arsenal a chance of challenging for the title. Most pundits and observers didn’t even consider us top-four material. And why should they have? We had finished eighth, eighth, and fifth in previous seasons, and we faltered in our top-four pursuits.
Personally, I don’t believe Spurs are genuine title contenders. I maintain that it’s a three-way race between ourselves, Manchester City, and Liverpool. However, am I falling into the same trap that many did last season when it came to us?
I understand that obtaining reasoned responses on this subject may be challenging because it revolves around Tottenham. Nevertheless, when examining their upcoming fixtures, it’s evident that they have four consecutive games that one would genuinely expect them to win. Moreover, they have the luxury of playing just one game per week, which is how momentum is built. As Leicester City and even we demonstrated last season, momentum can be an incredibly potent force.
As I’ve already mentioned, I don’t see them as genuine title rivals. However, if they continue winning and accumulating points, my perspective may yet undergo a transformation.