Spurs wanted to destroy Arsenal's title – they failed. Photo: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill
A stark fatalism descends on Tottenham as their season dissolves into familiar stage fright. Five minutes into the chaotic second half of the derby, hundreds of home fans were still not back in their seats. To be fair, if your stadium is so rich that you can fill your beer glasses from the bottom up on the oak and brass concourses, there are decent justifications for detention. But the half-empty stands also showed how little faith even the stalwarts had in their team being able to reverse a 3-0 deficit, and how dramatically the balance of power in north London had shifted.
This was to be the day Ange Postecoglou's side, bolstered by the luxury of two weeks of preparation, derailed the title ambitions of their hated enemies. Instead, it was Arsenal's turn to take on the dream busters, achieving a result that all but ended their rivals' hopes of finishing in the top four. For the first time since 1988, when George Graham was manager, they enjoyed the sensation of back-to-back top-flight victories over Tottenham, having only won two of their previous 17. A feat that has eluded Arsene Wenger throughout his 22-year reign is one that Mikel Arteta has already ticked the box. As the players wildly celebrated in front of their fans, ignoring the host's attempts to drown out the fun with music, one could feel the restoration of the old order.
It was St. Totteringham's Day again, a fictional holiday celebrated by Arsenal as it had become mathematically impossible for Tottenham to finish above them. At the end of this campaign, the gap could be more than 20 points. The gap was everywhere in this fight, from the dominance on the corners to Ben White's mental battle with Guglielmo Vicario. In every way Arsenal were tougher, wiser and nicer. Postecoglou suggested the same, expressing a desire to instill in all his players the mentality of World Cup winner Cristian Romero, the Argentine centre-back whose opportunistic second-half goal briefly sparked the contest.
The 100-day honeymoon that Australians enjoyed here last year, with the chorus of Robbie Williams' Angels rewritten as “Instead I love Big Anjou”, seems a distant memory. Tottenham are fifth but faltering, clinging to one of the smaller European qualifying spots despite promising much more. There will be a match against Manchester City at home on May 14th, and what a strange event this threatens. Assuming both City and Arsenal continue to win, many of the 60,000 in attendance will be praying for their team to lose, desperately anticipating their neighbors' 20-year wait for a title extension.
You could feel that desire as fans left the stadium and cheered as Erling Haaland had put City out of sight at Nottingham Forest. All in all, an unpleasant situation for a club that was top of the league six months ago. Very often, Tottenham fall victim to the habit of peaking too early. Take the lone trumpeter who played the anthem next to the golden cockerel at the start of the match, performing on a dizzying ledge several hundred feet in the sky. It was Braveheart style: he stood surrounded by two men in full war paint, holding their flags high. But after 27 minutes his team lost by two, the battle cries had long since fallen silent.
Spurs couldn't match the pre-game spectacle on the pitch. Photo: Getty Images/Ben Stanstall
Postecoglou's approach is different. He is credited with leading a cultural transformation, minimizing team meetings and allowing players to sleep in their own beds the night before a game rather than on the training ground. But one element of the culture he has been powerless to eradicate is the traditional end-of-season dormancy.
This team benefited from a two-week recovery from a 4-0 defeat to Newcastle, yet the scars were still visible in their naive defense: Ben Davies turned inside out by Bukayo Saka. Surprise at the selection of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who had not started since February 3, turned to disbelief when the Dane headed Saki's cross into his own net.
The manager is right when he argues that Tottenham's problems go beyond their vulnerability from set-pieces. They are also plagued by flaws in their mentality, too prone to panic when opponents of Arsenal's caliber find a way out. James Maddison tried to stir them up after Micky van de Ven equalized for a minor offside call, but was unsuccessful. They were so shocked by the injustice that Arsenal scored twice in the next 15 minutes.
North London, there can be no doubt about it, turned red again. Arteta is the fifth fastest manager to reach 100 wins in the Premier League era. Four above him? Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson. This is the sign of a man who builds a team that lasts, not one that flares up before burning out.
Postecoglou scored 26 points in his first 10 matches in England, more than Guardiola could claim, but has since led a mid-table side. The worry is that Tottenham will (if ever) escape this casting as the club with the most glamorous stadium but the most meager trophy room.
Recent Comments