It can somewhat difficult to decipher public opinion on the respective seasons of Arsenal and Spurs. The former are probably viewed to be underachieving, sitting slumped in sixth place, five points adrift of the top four. However, the Gunners set a precedent with their thumping 5-1 win over Everton last week.
Spurs, on the other hand, are sitting higher than their North London rivals in the Premier League, but not by much. Earlier in the campaign, Mauricio Pochettino’s men looked set to challenge at the top for a third successive year, but they have since fallen away, suffering a pretty drastic dip in form over December and January.
The past week or two, however, has seen Spurs come out the other side, with wins over Manchester United and a spirited draw away to Liverpool. For both clubs, this season has purely become about finishing in the top four, giving themselves a platform to build upon next season with Champions League football under their belts, and this weekend’s derby will prove crucial in shaping the contest for that.
Defeat for either team could shift the priorities of their season. Should Arsenal lose, the Gunners will find themselves a long way from their targeted league finish. At that point, Arsene Wenger might be wise to follow the precedent set by Manchester United last season and focus on the Europa League as a way into next season’s Champions League. That would surely be their best bet.
Of course, defeat for Spurs wouldn’t be so catastrophic, particularly with Chelsea currently in free-fall, but it could push Pochettino towards a more serious challenge for the FA Cup, with the Argentine’s team easing comfortably into the fifth round of the competition with a 2-0 replay win over Newport County on Wednesday night.
The race for the top four, even at this advanced stage of the season, is still extremely fluid, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal separated by just 11 points. Things can change very quickly, not even second place United are assured of their Champions League qualification. Look at Chelsea - just a few weeks ago they were second, now they are just a point from dropping from fourth position.
It’s for this reason that Saturday’s clash at Wembley matters so much. This won’t just shape Spurs and Arsenal’s challenge for a top four place, it will shape the race as a whole for every club involved. If one challenger drops away, then that has a knock-on effect for the rest. The North London derby always draws a strong viewership, but there might be some more viewers with a vested interest than normal this weekend.
