Arsenal look to secure a north London derby double over an inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur on February 22 in perhaps the most important fixture of the season for both sides, albeit for very different reasons.
This is more than just bragging rights. For Spurs, it is about stopping Arsenal from winning the league and finally picking up some form at home. For Arsenal, it is about proving they have learned from years of near misses and can finally deliver when the stakes are highest.
This is the Gunners’ best chance at a title for 22 years, despite Mikel Arteta’s men being bookies’ favourites. Thomas Frank’s sacking mid-way through the month adds even more drama for Arsenal fans to worry about.
Speaking to Gambling.com, the home of newly launched casino sites and sportsbook comparisons, one Arsenal fan said, “You just never know with that lot. We’ve had the beating of them the last few times, but it’s such an unpredictable game to call, especially at their place, since you don’t know which team will turn up.Let’s hope they don’t have any new manager bounce.”
Arsenal have travelled well and been beaten just once away from home at the time of writing, but they are so desperate to avoid that bridesmaid tagline that this fixture is simply about getting the job done.
No theatrics, no drama, just three points that edge them closer to ending their long wait for the title.
The city is divided into 90 minutes. Friends become enemies, households are split in two, and the intensity of north London derbies transcends football.
The rivalry evokes memories that define careers. Gunners still claim Son Heung-min missed on purpose to deny Arsenal the league, while Ange Postecoglou’s fury at suggestions Spurs would happily miss out on the top four purely to stop the Gunners winning it captured the hatred that defines this fixture. That is the level we are dealing with.
Last time out
The last north London derby was a statement of intent by Arsenal. Eberechi Eze scored his first senior hat-trick as the Gunners thrashed Spurs 4-1 back in November, a result that felt definitive at the time. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for the dominant hosts 10 minutes before half-time, before Eze doubled the lead before the break and made it 3-0 just 35 seconds into the second half.
Richarlison netted a superb goal to cut Tottenham’s deficit and briefly offer hope, but Eze completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute as Arsenal moved six points clear at the top. At that point in the season, it felt like Arsenal could run away with the title. From a Spurs perspective, the cracks were beginning to show.
Having beaten the likes of Manchester City and Leeds away from home before that match, it came as a shock that Spurs were so poor on the road against their fiercest rivals.
Arsenal have dropped silly points since then. A draw against Liverpool and a home loss to Manchester United were avoidable, results that allowed City back into the title race when Arsenal should have been pulling away. This is where the Gunners need to be at their best, on the biggest stage against their biggest rivals.
Spurs’ recent struggles
The loss to Newcastle United at home was the last straw for Frank, who was sacked after just seven months in charge.
There is a real familiarity between Postecoglou’s final season in charge and Danes’ short tenure in N17. Spurs play well in Europe, are awful domestically, and are ravaged by injuries. That’s music to all Arsenal fans’ ears.
They finished the league phase of the Champions League in fourth, unbeaten at home and performed impressively against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, but when you fail to beat relegation-threatened sides domestically, something has to give.
The manager market is blossoming too. With the likes of Enzo Maresca and Oliver Glasner potentially available come the summer, Frank’s position always felt precarious.
His appointment was always a gamble, coming from a Brentford side that punched above their weight but never broke into that elite barrier, and the sacking provides more questions than answers at a time when Spurs have only won three league games at home this term.
Where will it be won?
Set-pieces will likely decide this fixture. Arsenal have carved out a title challenge from aerial dominance and dead-ball delivery. Gabriel has perhaps been the player of the season, outscoring some strikers with his headed goals. With Mikel Merino attacking the box and Declan Rice delivering from wide areas, Arsenal are dangerous from every corner and free-kick.
Spurs will need the likes of Micky van de Ven to show their physicality and match Arsenal’s aerial intensity. Cristian Romero had the quality to dominate these duels, but his time on the pitch has been overshadowed by red cards and calling out the board on social media. He’s banned for another three games, meaning the Dutchman has to step up.
On the other side, Tottenham have lost just four of their last 17 home Premier League games against Arsenal, but three of those defeats have come in the most recent three meetings.
That matches the total Arsenal managed across their previous 23 visits, highlighting just how much the balance of power has shifted. Gabriel’s goal in September 2024 secured a third straight away derby win, marking the club’s longest such run since September 1988.
Can Arsenal finally deliver?
Is this the moment? After 22 years of hurt, can the title return to the red side of north London? The Emirates has not seen a Premier League trophy yet, and you feel that with every setback, this side has learned something and gained more experience. Now is the time to put it all together while the opportunity is there.
Arsenal cannot afford sentimentality. The romanticisation of the title has to stop at times. Put the brakes on, learn to dig in deep, be tough, and earn that Premier League title.
All it takes is one major trophy to springboard into sustained success. Look at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp. The foundations took four years to develop, but once they came to fruition, they won everything there was to win.
Now you get the sense this is Arsenal’s time, but they have to deliver when it matters most. Tottenham at home is exactly the kind of fixture where champions emerge. Win, and the title feels inevitable. Drop points, and the doubts creep back in.
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The day could go either way for Tottenham, either enjoying that new manager bounce the same way United have done with Michael Carrick, or dropping points for the 12th time at home this season. For Arsenal, it is about digging that dagger deeper, inflicting pain while bolstering their title credentials.
The only team that can beat Arsenal this season is Arsenal. They have the quality, the momentum and the belief. What they need now is ruthlessness. Tottenham at home should be three points, nothing more, nothing less. Win, and the title race tilts decisively in their favour. Drop points, and the doubts return.
This is Arsenal’s time, but time means nothing without delivery. February 22 will reveal whether they have finally learned how to close.
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