Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka both have the chance to become the first Englishman to score for the Gunners in home and away fixtures against Spurs in a season since Ian Wright in 1993-94. Arsenal are on the cusp of ending a five-year wait for Champions League football as their victory over Leeds solidified their place in the Premier League top four.
The Gunners will return to Europe’s elite competition if they win at Tottenham on Thursday night as Mikel Arteta continues to turn around a season that began in the worst possible way.
Arsenal were rock bottom of the Premier League, without a point or a goal, heading into the September international break but are now on the verge of a top-four finish.
Here, we look at just how Arteta has managed to instigate such a recovery. The Gunners will return to Europe’s elite competition if they win at Tottenham on Thursday night. The four goals scored by Eddie Nketiah in his last four top-flight games is just one fewer than he managed in his first 52 Premier League appearances. Son Heung-min is only the second Tottenham player to score 20 Premier League goals in a season without any of them being penalties, emulating Gareth Bale in 2012-13 (21).
He has both scored (12) and been involved in (17) more top-flight goals in 2022 than any other player and after failing to score or assist in any of his first nine league games against Arsenal, Son has three goals and two assists in his last four North London derby appearances. Arsenal have gone seven league matches without a clean sheet since a 1-0 win at Aston Villa on 19th March. Victory for Arsenal would guarantee them their highest Premier League finish since the 2015-16 campaign when they finished second. It would also be the first time since then that they have finished above Spurs.
The Gunners have registered four consecutive league wins while conceding at least once in every game for the first time since a run of five from February to March 2012. In the build-up to Thursday, Antonio Conte has been “super animated”, seeking to ensure his players are ready to rampage into this one. He has used a few little techniques for motivation, and the suspension of this game in January has been mentioned, as has the home support.
This is what Conte is best at. Tottenham’s performance in big games has been the most positive aspect of his brief time in charge so far, and is one major reason he has them in contention for the top four. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have improved in big games themselves, but their season has mostly been about winning the games they should – which is why they don’t absolutely have to win this one.
That is Spurs’ necessity, but it’s a difficult balance to strike. “Balance” is itself a word that has returned to the discussion around the north London derby, as both clubs face up to the fixture’s biggest game in around a decade. Arsenal and Tottenham meet tonight in a golden opportunity to settle the top-four race and strike a blow to their closest rivals
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