There’s never a good time to lose a north London derby, but for both Mikel Arteta and Ange Postekoglu, Wednesday’s defeat only served to further enrage a fan base where increasingly murmurs of discontent can be heard.
Arteta wants to rally fans
It is worth noting that the Arsenal manager, who will face Tottenham opponents, called for “the best atmosphere we have ever had at the Emirates”. Few would downplay the importance of his home stadium after two home defeats in which at least some stalwarts endured a hasty retreat. Arteta knows he has work to do to win over a disgruntled audience. He won’t need to tell you what happened when Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery lost their crowds.
Where does that grumbling come from? This is no small part of the standards Arteta has set at Arsenal. After establishing the team as a strong contender for two seasons, he would be the first to say that they need silverware to support the project. With their exit from the FA Cup last week and a first-leg loss to Newcastle in the EFL Cup, it looks like that won’t happen in the domestic cups, which could very well be the end. With Liverpool sitting six points clear, glory is probably just around the corner in the Premier League as well. Barring a first Champions League win, the trophy drought would extend into its sixth year.
It’s easy to understand why supporters of England’s third most successful club in terms of domestic leagues would expect more. But you only need a cursory knowledge of how Arsenal’s season went to understand why the trophy disappeared. First of all, it’s temporary. There were three red cards in the odd moment that cost us points early in the season. Two of them were correct, but very little was given.
And then there’s the big one, a raft of injuries as big as the injuries that have taken down Liverpool and Manchester City in recent weeks. Martin Odegaard has played over 3,000 minutes in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons. Due to a long-term ankle injury and subsequent illness, he had just surpassed the 1,000-point mark. Bukayo Saka may not return until March. Ben White played only 9 games. Few attacking groups were as destructive as Arsenal’s right flank last season. The triumvirate have shared the pitch once since early August.
The nagging doesn’t end here. Mikel Merino broke his shoulder in his first training session after joining from Real Sociedad. Declan Rice has played less than 80% of Premier League minutes. Areas of meaningful depth have been hit repeatedly, especially fullback. To add insult to injury, Gabriel Jesus was in his best form since suffering a right knee injury at the 2022 World Cup when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his other knee.
“These are more difficult times than we have ever been through, especially because we have lost a very important player at a crucial moment,” Arteta said. But everything happens in this life for a reason. Adapt and see how your team performs with everything that has happened.
“Okay, we didn’t win last time, but if we have to go out of the competition, let’s go out like this when we’re infinitely better than our opponent. And then there’s another game on Wednesday, which will probably be the best. We’ll see what that game means to all of us. Let’s face the situation, embrace it and do our best because we know how the team plays.”
He has a point. That’s all the case. Arsenal are without their best attacker, key forwards and many players look tired. Nonetheless, they are coming off what would have been considered a decent, if not the best, season for the club, are in a commanding position to qualify for next year’s Champions League and could make a deep run this year if fitness is on their side. It could be better. Newcastle and Manchester United have never played outside the stadium. If it were the other way around. The problem with Arsenal’s season isn’t that they haven’t yet given their fan base the endorphin rush of their new signings. They’re just playing a low-scoring sport and the ball hasn’t gone into the net yet.
Postecoglou battles injuries and bad luck.
Postecoglou may feel the same frustration. Tottenham’s performance wasn’t the highlight of Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg win over Liverpool, but it was excellent. Spurs won after a close battle. The team has played eight games this season, with an expected goal difference between 0 and -0.6, and has been largely even in terms of shot quality, at best slightly ahead of its opponents. A week ago their record was 1 draw and 6 losses.
Last week’s defeat to Newcastle was the embodiment of their season. Tottenham started brightly, and even though they looked reduced, their attack sparked. But there was nothing that could be done to alleviate the fact that only one of the regular back five was in the team. You may have questions about the Postecoglou system. Would such a high line put too much strain on the hamstrings of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero? Even if that’s true, there’s still plenty of misfortune for the pair, with Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario all suffering major injuries at the same time.
Once those players return – and Postecoglou said Tuesday he hopes for “some light at the end of the tunnel”. – Tottenham’s manager would be better off because he trusted at least two 18-year-olds to step up. Archie Gray played at centre-back and Lucas Bergvall played in midfield. Without them, would Liverpool’s game have gone in a different direction? “I just pray to God that in two or three years, I will be a beneficiary of their talents.” Their manager spoke about the teenagers after the game: “I wouldn’t be happy if someone else got it.”
Tottenham may not have quite hit the baseline like Arsenal did, but the injury crisis has established two potential cornerstones of the team for the next few years. The Champions League qualifiers may surpass the top two Premier League scorers, but the domestic final is just around the corner. It can’t be smelled. It’s certainly worth paying attention to when anyone looks down the Premier League table to find the 11th-placed team.
“I always give context for how I analyze and critique performances, but others decide not to do that and rely purely on the results,” Postecoglou said on Tuesday. “If you look at a team, if they are losing and not scoring goals, then they are playing poorly, the players are not good or the coaching is not good. If there are injuries and disruptions in the context of cohesion and fluidity, then yes, it affects what you do.
“We’ve obviously had a big blow, but it’s starting to pile up for most clubs. The way the season has gone so far, I’d be very surprised if any club gets through it. “As you know, Bournemouth have had a few blows. Now Brighton have a few. “Of course, we’ve probably been hit harder than most clubs because of our fixture schedule, but I’d be surprised if any of them come through this season unscathed.”
Certainly neither of these are the case. However, both should be considered to have strengthened their reputations through injury crises. Postecoglou did what he has done frequently during his half of the season in charge of Tottenham, making decisions that were in the long-term interests of the club. Few of his predecessors did so. Arteta has Arsenal in second place in the Premier League and third in the Champions League. When did that stop being enough?
At least one of these managers will take a sharp hit on Thursday morning. There will be further debate about the lack of a top, top striker in the red half of north London and/or the philosophical intransigence of the white team. Too little information would be enough to really address what’s been thrown at these teams in this most challenging season.
