MAY 2 ― For the last couple of decades, one of the greatest highlights of the year for Arsenal fans has been the annual celebration of St Totteringham’s Day.
This isn’t a real holiday, of course, but marks the day upon which their team secures a higher finish in the English Premier League than their hated local rivals Tottenham ― something the Gunners have achieved every single year since 1995.
Not any longer. Tottenham’s convincing 2-0 victory in Sunday’s North London derby has left them 17 points clear of Arsenal with just five games remaining, meaning they are guaranteed to finish above Arsene Wenger’s side for the very first time since midfield star Dele Alli was born.
As well as gaining local bragging rights, this weekend’s result has the greater consequence of maintaining Tottenham’s title challenge while also greatly complicating Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League by finishing in the top four.
Of course, it’s still likely that Chelsea will be crowned champions. If the Stamford Bridge club win three of their four remaining games they will take the title whatever Spurs do, and the identity of Chelsea’s upcoming opponents ― Middlesbrough, West Brom, Watford and Sunderland ― makes that scenario very likely.
And even if Chelsea do slip up, three of Tottenham’s remaining games are away from home, including an always feisty local derby at West Ham, and their only home fixture is against rigid Manchester United, so they will be hard pushed to collect maximum points.
Even so, Spurs have enjoyed an outstanding season and barring an unthinkable collapse they will finish in second place ― their highest since 1963 ― to return to the Champions League with confidence renewed following this season’s disappointing group stage exit.
This weekend’s victory over Arsenal showed just how far they have progressed, because they looked light years ahead of their usually superior local rivals, who were only spared a bigger margin of defeat by an outstanding goalkeeping performance from Petr Cech.
Spurs played with poise, purpose, pace and power, looking entirely confident in their methods as you would expect on the back of a nine-game winning run.
The team also performed with great balance, with the powerful attacking menace of Harry Kane perfectly complemented by the boundless flair and energy of Alli, while Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son providing constant thrust down the flanks.
The centre of midfield was totally controlled by powerful Victor Wanyama and composed Eric Dier, protecting a back four which was well organised and disciplined.
With such an all-round team effort, it’s no surprise to see that Tottenham are both scoring goals at one end, averaging more than two goals per game with 71 in 34 outings (just one fewer than Chelsea), and also keeping them out at the other, with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris presiding over the Premier League’s best defensive record and preserving a clean sheet in the last four games.
Considering the youth of the squad ― Lloris and centre back Jan Vertonghen are the oldest players at the age of 30 ― and the canny management of Mauricio Pochettino, there’s plenty of potential for Spurs to get even better next season, and these are great days for long-suffering followers of the White Hart Lane club.
The same, clearly, cannot be said for Arsenal and the emphatic nature of their weekend loss, combined with the huge gap between themselves and Spurs in the league standings, illustrates starkly just how far they have fallen.
The Gunners need to collect seven points from their remaining five games to avoid finishing with their lowest tally for more than 20 years, and the way they are currently playing makes that a very tough ask.
The fixture list doesn’t really help, either, with Arsene Wenger’s men scheduled to host Manchester United and Everton as well as facing uncomfortable away trips to Southampton and Stoke, and the prospect of Arsenal overcoming their six-point deficit on fourth place looks remote to say the least.
Finishing fifth or lower, as looks inevitable, would take away one of the last arguments in favour of retaining Wenger’s services: he always qualifies for the Champions League. Failing to achieve that aim cannot be regarded as anything but a failure, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to see how Wenger can retain his position without the club losing its credibility as a major force.
Although Arsenal do not possess the best squad in the world, Wenger’s players are an awful lot better than they have shown this season, and their manager’s inability to motivate them or organise them is sometimes painful to watch.
Wenger has been one of the greatest managers of the modern era, and he really did transform the Premier League when he arrived at Arsenal in the mid-90s. But time moves on, and Wenger’s failure to do so means he should step aside now before further damage is done.
If not, Arsenal’s once-in-a-generation failure to celebrate St Totteringham’s Day could become a permanent state of affairs.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
