One of the duties of writing for Just Arsenal is to meticulously sift through the day’s news for Arsenal-related stories that we believe might pique the interest of our readers.
Today, while performing this task, I encountered various headlines featuring the name Tottenham, and it quickly became apparent to me that, in some circles, they are now being considered as potential title contenders.
For instance, The Manchester Evening News featured this headline: “Man City’s next six Premier League fixtures compared to Tottenham, Arsenal, and other rivals.” While it’s possible they did this for clickbait purposes, it’s worth noting that they did not include Liverpool in the headline, even though Liverpool tends to generate more clicks, as our analytics have demonstrated.
What this headline suggests to me is that some are now taking Tottenham seriously as contenders. This led me to ponder whether it would be unwise to underestimate them.
It’s quite simple to dismiss Tottenham because of their lack of recent silverware and the “Spursy” tag has become synonymous with their perceived inconsistency. But is this dismissal merely a result of tribalism?
I can recall the beginning of last season when no one gave Arsenal a chance of challenging for the title. Most pundits and observers didn’t even consider us top-four material. And why should they have? We had finished eighth, eighth, and fifth in previous seasons, and we faltered in our top-four pursuits.
Personally, I don’t believe Spurs are genuine title contenders. I maintain that it’s a three-way race between ourselves, Manchester City, and Liverpool. However, am I falling into the same trap that many did last season when it came to us?
I understand that obtaining reasoned responses on this subject may be challenging because it revolves around Tottenham. Nevertheless, when examining their upcoming fixtures, it’s evident that they have four consecutive games that one would genuinely expect them to win. Moreover, they have the luxury of playing just one game per week, which is how momentum is built. As Leicester City and even we demonstrated last season, momentum can be an incredibly potent force.
As I’ve already mentioned, I don’t see them as genuine title rivals. However, if they continue winning and accumulating points, my perspective may yet undergo a transformation.
As much as we despise them.
Good start but they will fade away.
Squad weak .
Anything can happen in football. Leceister can win league, Arsenal can manage to lose title with 6 games remaining and 5 points ahead. One or the other team will always come in for title challenge. If we don’t keep our pace then we will be overtaken by some other club, be it mancity or lpool or spurs or leceister or any other. We should maintain our level and try to avoid past mistakes and not buck down when it really matters. Moreover we are still not playing at the level of last season which was not enough for title so we don’t have other alternative to improve in various aspect if we are to challenge for title again.
Anyone who doesn’t consider the spuds as title challengers must live in cloud cuckoo land.
They are undefeated, have no european football to worry about and have a very good manager.
Aside from that, they have a CF who can do high-press frequently now
Kane couldn’t do it effectively last season because of his age and it made Spuds unable to win the ball easily
Considering they already played Arsenal, manu, lpool and in next 5 fixtures they only have one big game with chelsea, there is every chance they might sit top of the league after next 5 games. Hope luck wont always favors them as it did in Sheffield and lpool game.
@ken1945
RealTalk. 👍🏾
And to add a realistic observation to our match against them. Had Ange not taken off Son and Maddison, that might have beaten us…Jus sayin
Odd post that KEN,as I think precisely the reverse,in that anyone who DOES consider Spurs as title contenders is in cloud cuckoo land. Definite top four CONTENDERS but no higher than fourth.
City Ourselves and Pool will all be well clear of Spuds and will compete among ourselves for the title
Odd post that 😇Jon, as the question was title contenders and, at this moment in time, they are above both us and pool and one point behind city.
Come January, you could well be correct, but at this moment in time, they most definitely are.
Playing for just two trophies, a full week between games and a very easy October schedule.
Let’s wait and see.
Surely Ken , to have any true meaning at all, the term”title contenders” HAS to mean a team who will go close at the very end and NOT just a team that has so far made a better than expected start ?
Well that is what I mean when I discuss eventual title contenders to be. Meaning still very close in late April, at least.
The year Leicester won the title, 2016, we finished second but we were NEVER true contenders. Spuds in third place at the very end were, briefly, ALMOST, but not actual contenders.
And should we even consider ourselves as the title contenders or title pretenders?? Let us leave it to city and Liverpool. We must focus on FA cup and carabao cup and possibly reaching the round of 16 of champions league.
I said the same… but most of them on cloud 9…
Spurs lucky against Arsenal n Liverpool. Yes, they did put good work. But 10% luck saved them. We made wrong sub n Liverpool red card.. Spurs will fade away soon or later.
Arsenal and MA have to worry about the things they control. You can be sure that AP will be ensuring that is the approach Tottenham takes “with one game at a time.”
It should be remembered that Arsenal is in Europe and last season was the first one in some time that Arsenal jas finished in front of Spurs. Spurs can be more focussed on the EPL.
It would takes more than 7 games for Spurds to be considered as title rivals. Arsenal went on a long run before been considered last season. With many injuries to Arsenal players we still managed to beat Brendford away a usually difficult place to go. Can Spurds survive mid season injuries and burnout. However, we can’t deny the fact Spurds are playing good football at the moment. Let’s see how consistent they could be. They managed with many controversies to beat Liverpool yesterday.
They are not only our biggest rivals this season, but also City’s.
It hurts me to admit that, but believe me, it’s true.
Really? lol.
Yes, really, lol.
I prefer to think that you mean it that its YOUR personal opinion only, one which you are of course entitled but still, only a fans personal opinion.
There is no evidence as yet to support your opinion, when it matters, MUCH later in the season.
The thing with football is you can not be certain about things, who knew that Wolves would beat Man City? And it is way too early to pick who is where. As for Arsenal, all need to do is to win the next encounter and the next convincingly.
They will run out of luck soon. They will get top four, but they are not winning the Premier League.
One big factor standing for Spurs is their lack of European football. They also exited the Carabao cup very early. Gives them the time for players to recover from games and to prepare optimally for the next one.
It worked for them when they played Arsenal some days back.
So, yes; they could be realistic title contenders
” could” is a meaning less word. It simply sits on the fence. Give your own opinion and be honest about what you DO, not “could” think.
lol, i can see fans wary of them just like Toon and UTD last campaign. well melt all you want folks i can tell who are challengers from pretenders. if at all spuds intends to challenge for the league then i’m interested in how they pull it off without a quality squad,depht to cope with fatigue,injury and loss of form to certain players,mental strenght and of course the consistency to grind out 80 plus points. aaaawww looking to see how they pull this off with their project just kicking in under Ange compared to the guys in the block in Pep,Jurgen and Mikel, Fingers crossed but i don’t see them as tittle challengers but in healthy place for fourth place amongst their top 4 rivals.
Far too early to tell but if they are still around at the halfway mark and have strengthened their squad in January we would have to take them seriously. Assuming that we are also in contention?
Surely they are in the mix if they can keep it up but it shouldn’t matter to Arsenal as the team need to treat every team as a title contender. A win against spurs is not different from a win against the bottom dwellers. It will not carry any more weight than a win against any other team, atleast not this early in the season. Maybe just for confidence booster
👍Ibrahim
Yes. It’s way too early, but the table never lies….
Too early to say who are challengers apart from us and Man City. They have an incredible manager though.
Not to trivialize what Liverpool did with 9 men on the field, but still they were 9 men and Spurs couldn’t get past them and if not for pure luck and bad refereeing, Spurs would’ve lost.
They are good now but they still spursy.
You make your own luck. You don’t get sent off for no reason.
It’s early days, but Spurs do look as they have a team worthy of their stadium.
They just about beat Sheff Utd,struggled to get past a nine man Liverpool team and could not beat an Arsenal team that was missing 5 top players in Martinelli, Trossard,Partey,Rice for the second and Timber.Had we had those players in our team we would of won.As John said Liverpool are by far the bigger threat.
John, ifs, buts and maybe’s. Please check the current EPL Table
I’ve never ever had problems with Spurs, the team, it’s their trully hateful supporters that I can’t stand.
Mathematically YES, just Brighton and Hove and Aston Villa? Even though they are playing motivated football, it took them a Jorgino’s howler to get a draw against an Arsenal team that is out of sorts and the referee and 2 red cards to Liverpool to get a last gap “Thank you Lord” win. There’s still a long way to go so let’s wait and see.
Totties first 7 games consists of 5 wins, 2 draws which positively include 3 injury time goals, 2 own goals, 3 red cards and 3 disallowed goals. Very eventful indeed.
The advantage for Spurs is fewer games, the problem is a lack of squad depth. Postecoglu has done wonders in a few months but you can’t rebuild a squad in one transfer window. In particular while Romero and Van de Ven have proved a tremendous partnership at the centre of the defence if either one gets injured then Spurs are down to 18 year old Ashley Phillips. I’d be surprised if they avoid injuries that cost them points over the course of the season. I wouldn’t rule out a top four finish though. As far as the title goes its City’s to lose, it always is. If you look at the table there’s 3 points between City in first place and Brighton in 6th. So there might be more than 2 clubs in the chase.
👍jod, sensible analysis!
Potential title contenders Yes a strong start to the season despite playing Arsenal, Liverpool, man utd. No european competition is a bonus.
But genuine title contenders no, it took a longer run than that for Arsenal to be considered that so it is best to reserve judgment till we have played 14-15 games.
This season the battle to finish in the top 4 is going one of the most fought ever.or is it top 5?
So far Gary Neville has said on his podcast that it doesn’t see them as title challengers/contenders.how ironic would it be if he and others pundits even after few weeks/a couple of months near the top of the table,were to consider them so? especially when last season,it took them after Christmas or further down the line to call us title challengers.or would it show some bias or double standards?
It’s Spurs they’ll fade away. The title challengers with City still haven’t been decided, but I expect Liverpool will push them. I’m not sure about us quite yet but if we pick up form it’s possible.
They have to prove it over a long number of games, it’s much too early to earn the tag. They do look to have luck on their side I’ll give them that
Put it this way; I was thrilled when Spus last minute goal was given, as I regard a point dropped by Liverpool as FAR MORE IMPORTANT to us than an extra two points for Spuds
. Pool look the real McCoy, Spuds do not!
Same here, my thoughts exactly.
I smile at those who say “It’s the spuds, they’ll fade away”.
Have we ALREADY forgotten last season?
I repeat, it’s spurs. They won’t come close.
A 9 man Liverpool frustrated them and silly errors and a poor managerial decisions gave them a point against us
RSH, Ange has proven to make poor managerial decisions on 3 continents and won 7 league titles and one Asian Cup.
I think RSH meant poor managerial decisions from MA, Ozzie.
It would be unwise to write of the Spuds. True, they slip up at critical moments, but under AP, they seem to be consistent in their performances and the addition of Madison to the squad has given them an edge over their rivals. Arsenal will have to be at their best in every game and hopefully the Spuds falter at some point. This season will be tough and no doubt the absence of European football gives Spuds additional rest time but Arsenal have a good squad depth to go on and be successful.
Our squad depth needs to be strengthened up front and in the January window.