Mauricio Pochettino's side needs only a draw with Newcastle on Sunday to secure a second-placed finish, but the Gunners are poised to take advantage if it slips.
Mauricio Pochettino's side needs only a draw with Newcastle on Sunday to secure a second-placed finish, but the Gunners are poised to take advantage if it slips.
Tottenham has not finished above Arsenal since 1995, but is aware that a draw with already-relegated Newcastle United will be enough to seal a second-placed finish in the Premier League.
Given their superior goal difference - Spurs have a 13-goal advantage over their bitter rival - merely avoiding defeat will, barring a freak result in the Gunners' clash with Aston Villa, see Mauricio Pochettino's men finally better Arsene Wenger's side.
But does it really matter? Here, two Goal writers debate the point, Harry Sherlock for Spurs, and Arsenal correspondent Chris Wheatley for the Gunners.
SPURS MUST BREAK THE CURSE
SPURS MUST BREAK THE CURSE
Tottenham finishing above Arsenal is, quite simply, everything to Spurs fans.
Of course, in the long term the reality is that it is immaterial; Spurs are a club on the up, playing progressive, attractive football and are stewarded by a manager with an incredible gift for bringing the best out of a largely British squad.
There is a palpable feeling of harmony at White Hart Lane. The fans see Harry Kane banging in the goals, Dele Alli gliding through midfield and Toby Alderweireld steadfastly refusing to concede a foul and feel that this side is the best they’ve seen in the Premier League era. Tottenham have a gilded future.
And yet, this upwardly mobile Spurs team could well finish below an Arsenal side that provokes division amongst its own support.
It is unlikely. Newcastle has already been relegated and is, by all accounts, a terrible football team.
However, there is a lingering sense of déjà vu. Spurs have so often prepared for the dawning of a glorious era, and something – anything – has ruined it. Be it dodgy lasagna or the tempting of fate by an overly emboldened manager, Spurs have never finished above an Arsenal side managed by Arsene Wenger.
On Sunday it will come down to one question; are Spurs still Spursy? Only Tottenham could pay a visit to an already-relegated team, knowing that at least a draw would see them outdo its bitterest rival, and lose.
Pochettino, though, has done enough this season to calm the minds of even the most battle-scarred supporters; he has signed a new deal and will surely lead the club into another title challenge next term.
But this weekend, when the first whistle blows, Spurs fans will feel a knotting of their stomachs, a steady rise in their heartbeat, and a feeling of utter and complete helplessness. Tottenham can break the curse, end the hoodoo and exorcise the ghosts. Beat Newcastle and finish second, above the bitter enemy, and finally earn the bragging rights.
Nothing else will do.
ARSENAL MUST RETAIN THEIR PRIDE
This season has been dubbed as Arsenal’s biggest missed opportunity since Arsene Wenger arrived at the club.
The 2006-07 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona was bitterly disappointing, but losing out on the Premier League to a side who only just escaped relegation the year before is something the Gunners manager will find hard to forget when he retires.
If Arsenal fans thought losing out on the league to Leicester was tough, imagine the scenes when Tottenham ends its hopes of the infamous ‘St Totteringham’s Day’ being celebrated for the first time in 21 years.
Pride is an important word in sport, none more so than in the corners of north London where Arsenal fans will be absolutely furious if they are overtaken by a side which didn’t pose much of a threat when the season began last August.
Indeed, it looks like Mauricio Pochettino’s vibrant, young Spurs side will finish above its arch rival in a season which really should have been different for both neighbors.
Securing second for Arsenal would keep the momentum going for at least another season, although many are starting to believe that the pendulum has already swung where the future is concerned.
A new stadium, a reported 60 million pound ($86 million) transfer war chest and a fresh, young tactical thinker are the mainstays of this new Tottenham side, while questions remain over whether Wenger will dip into the transfer market for much-needed reinforcements this summer.
The money is certainly there at Emirates Stadium and with Granit Xhaka, Alvaro Morata and Riyad Mahrez all heavily linked with the club, Arsenal supporters will be hoping that their transfer business trumps that of Daniel Levy’s this summer – even if the league table says differently.
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