What Arsenal are lacking and what Tottenham are lacking.

 

 

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By Tony Attwood

Yesterday in Football 365 there was a piece that included the comment, “From where I’m sitting, Arsenal need three forwards (upgrades on Saka, Jesus, and Martinelli) and two midfielders (upgrades on Jorginho and Partey – who has been very good this year) to remain title-race relevant next year.”

Now the normal response to such pieces is either to argue against that, or to say something like “at last someone is telling it like it is,” or to ignore it.   But I think there is another dimension to articles like that, and that is to consider the effect they have on the players currently at the club and on players who are thinking of coming to the club.

Some who are used to the way Arsenal are written about both by journalists and people who describe themselves as fans, will just shrug and say, “It has always been like this” – which I think has a certain element of truth within it.   Others might also argue that the article is true.   Few, I suspect, will be horrified, because yes, “the commentary on Arsenal has always been like this”.

But what is not often contemplated are two other factors: whether all clubs suffer from this sort of writing from supposed supporters of the club, and what effect it has on players.

I do get the feeling from scouring the media on a daily basis as well as listening to radio discussions, that Arsenal do seem to suffer more from negative opinions even when the club is doing comparatively well (such as two seasons coming second just a couple of years after two seasons of coming eighth).

And this leads to thoughts on the Champions League games against Real Madrid before which there was a general feeling that Arsenal were going to find them tough.  After the games, there was a real uplift, but it only lasted a brief moment before the criticism returned. The draws with Palace and Brentford were highlighted, while the victories of Real Madrid and Ipswich were ignored.

And I thought on this further on seeing the headline “Postecoglou rails against narratives of Tottenham always being ‘set up for a fall’,” which included reference in the Guardian, to the “negative hysteria facing Spurs” and “negative interpretations at every turn.”

Of course writing here I am negative about Tottenham all the time, because I am an Arsenal fan, born and brought up in a part of north London where which club you identified with was a fundamental part of who you were.  Indeed the flat I was brought up in, had the postal address London N17.

So I am used to Tottenham talk, but even so I think there is a difference to be seen in the latest article of this type, which is about Tottenham breaking “the cycle of frustration.”

In shor,t Tottenham are getting a general sort of “it will get better” commentary from the media and many fans, while Arsenal are getting “we’re doomed” from the media and their own fans.    Yet looking at the table we find

 

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
2	Arsenal	34	18	13	3	63	29	34	67
16	Tottenham Hotspur	33	11	4	18	61	51	10	37

.

The only thing Tottenham are close to Arsenal on is tje goals scored, but that actually stands for little as their wretched defence sees to that.

ButI find this difference between the two clubs particularly interesting because in 2021, just four years ago, the two clubs were hardly separable in terms of league position.

 

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
7	Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	8	12	68	45	23	62
8	Arsenal	38	18	7	13	55	39	16	61

Just six months ago Tottenham lost to Crystal Palace.  It was Palace’s first win of the season.   And that raises the issue.  Teams not only to be good, but when something does go wrong they need the psychological power to be able to set that problem aside.  I think that is where Tottenham are going wrong.  It’s not the players.  It’s their psychologist.  (If they have one).