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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...-lost-big-six-status-now-managers-must-prove/
It's a dog fight back to Top 4...
Arsenal and Spurs have lost 'big six' status - now their managers must prove they can win it back
Plus: Why defeat at Chelsea would signal danger for Manchester City
Jamie Carragher 24 September 2021 • 9:59am
This Sunday's North London derby is a reminder that the idea of a ‘big six’ in English football is outdated. We now have a big four.
The worry for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans is how far they have fallen behind the title contenders and how long they will be on the outside looking in.
Although it is early in the season, the clubs’ meeting this weekend already feels massive for both managers, Mikel Arteta and Nuno Espirito Santo.
It would be premature to suggest jobs are immediately on the line. What is at stake is something more important to their fans - hope and trust.
Nothing builds or erodes that like a derby win or defeat.
After the first few league games, no one is sure what this season has in store for Arsenal and Spurs; whether they are moving forwards or in danger of drifting even further away.
After a terrible start, Arsenal have some momentum. Another victory will change the mood at The Emirates after the losses to Chelsea and Manchester City, restoring much-needed calm.
The reaction to their heavy defeats was due to their manner rather than the fact Arsenal were beaten. The bigger picture of the Arteta reign is not as bad as often portrayed.
It is worth emphasising that between Boxing Day and the end of last season, only the Manchester clubs collected more league points than Arsenal. Last season they had the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, but Arteta knows finishing 8th is not good enough for Arsenal.
He took over in difficult circumstances, inheriting an ageing and overpaid squad in 2019, so there was always going to be pain to endure before more consistent results and performances.
It is too soon to shrug off the excellence of Arteta’s early work when he delivered the FA Cup within a few months. It was not just that he won a major trophy. He defeated Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley to do so.
Arteta led Arsenal to an FA Cup victory after just a few months in charge Credit: GETTY IMAGES
This summer’s spending spree has given Arteta the chance to make significant strides with younger, more dynamic players, getting his own team on the pitch after a much-needed overhaul.
Arteta has been a bit unlucky so far given the circumstances around the opening day defeat at Brentford - short of players due to Covid and unsure the game would go ahead until five hours before kick-off - and an unforgiving fixture list against the Champions League finalists.
For me, the stakes are already as high for Nuno as Arteta, even though he is only a few months into the Spurs job.
Last week’s first-half display against Chelsea was like Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino; exciting, pressing high and on the front foot. What happened in the second half undermined that excellence. Chelsea are a superior team and showed their class when provoked into a response, underlining how big the gap is between the top four and the rest.
Nuno needs to persist with a more progressive approach to win his new supporters’ over. The defensive style of his Wolverhampton Wanderers team will not be tolerated at Spurs. He will be seen as ‘Mourinho-lite’ and would be wise to remember the reaction to Jose’s negative tactics in last March’s North London derby. It was not quite the final straw, but he was sacked five weeks later.
Competing for the Premier League is off the table for Arsenal and Spurs for the next two or three years. Champions League qualification is a long shot this year. The same clubs have occupied those positions for the last two seasons and it would be a huge shock if they do not do so again.
The minimum for Arsenal and Spurs is an improvement on last year’s performance, a style in tune with what the fans expect, and the foundation for a further step forward in a year’s time. A clearer judgement on the progress of both managers can be made at the end of this season.
There were many times as a player I knew within a matter of games there was no prospect of winning the league, so the target was points as well as positioning. Last season, Spurs collected 62 and Arsenal 61. Seventy is generally a guarantee of being in the race for the top four.
more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...-lost-big-six-status-now-managers-must-prove/
......The North London clubs are in a battle with each other to see who will be ready first to break back into the top four. We may have a clearer idea on Sunday.
It's a dog fight back to Top 4...
Arsenal and Spurs have lost 'big six' status - now their managers must prove they can win it back
Plus: Why defeat at Chelsea would signal danger for Manchester City
Jamie Carragher 24 September 2021 • 9:59am
This Sunday's North London derby is a reminder that the idea of a ‘big six’ in English football is outdated. We now have a big four.
The worry for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans is how far they have fallen behind the title contenders and how long they will be on the outside looking in.
Although it is early in the season, the clubs’ meeting this weekend already feels massive for both managers, Mikel Arteta and Nuno Espirito Santo.
It would be premature to suggest jobs are immediately on the line. What is at stake is something more important to their fans - hope and trust.
Nothing builds or erodes that like a derby win or defeat.
After the first few league games, no one is sure what this season has in store for Arsenal and Spurs; whether they are moving forwards or in danger of drifting even further away.
After a terrible start, Arsenal have some momentum. Another victory will change the mood at The Emirates after the losses to Chelsea and Manchester City, restoring much-needed calm.
The reaction to their heavy defeats was due to their manner rather than the fact Arsenal were beaten. The bigger picture of the Arteta reign is not as bad as often portrayed.
It is worth emphasising that between Boxing Day and the end of last season, only the Manchester clubs collected more league points than Arsenal. Last season they had the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, but Arteta knows finishing 8th is not good enough for Arsenal.
He took over in difficult circumstances, inheriting an ageing and overpaid squad in 2019, so there was always going to be pain to endure before more consistent results and performances.
It is too soon to shrug off the excellence of Arteta’s early work when he delivered the FA Cup within a few months. It was not just that he won a major trophy. He defeated Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley to do so.
Arteta led Arsenal to an FA Cup victory after just a few months in charge Credit: GETTY IMAGES
This summer’s spending spree has given Arteta the chance to make significant strides with younger, more dynamic players, getting his own team on the pitch after a much-needed overhaul.
Arteta has been a bit unlucky so far given the circumstances around the opening day defeat at Brentford - short of players due to Covid and unsure the game would go ahead until five hours before kick-off - and an unforgiving fixture list against the Champions League finalists.
For me, the stakes are already as high for Nuno as Arteta, even though he is only a few months into the Spurs job.
Last week’s first-half display against Chelsea was like Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino; exciting, pressing high and on the front foot. What happened in the second half undermined that excellence. Chelsea are a superior team and showed their class when provoked into a response, underlining how big the gap is between the top four and the rest.
Nuno needs to persist with a more progressive approach to win his new supporters’ over. The defensive style of his Wolverhampton Wanderers team will not be tolerated at Spurs. He will be seen as ‘Mourinho-lite’ and would be wise to remember the reaction to Jose’s negative tactics in last March’s North London derby. It was not quite the final straw, but he was sacked five weeks later.
Competing for the Premier League is off the table for Arsenal and Spurs for the next two or three years. Champions League qualification is a long shot this year. The same clubs have occupied those positions for the last two seasons and it would be a huge shock if they do not do so again.
The minimum for Arsenal and Spurs is an improvement on last year’s performance, a style in tune with what the fans expect, and the foundation for a further step forward in a year’s time. A clearer judgement on the progress of both managers can be made at the end of this season.
There were many times as a player I knew within a matter of games there was no prospect of winning the league, so the target was points as well as positioning. Last season, Spurs collected 62 and Arsenal 61. Seventy is generally a guarantee of being in the race for the top four.
more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...-lost-big-six-status-now-managers-must-prove/
......The North London clubs are in a battle with each other to see who will be ready first to break back into the top four. We may have a clearer idea on Sunday.