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Detailing the North London derby

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur split the points in this season’s two North London derbies – us winning 2-0 at the Emirates before going down 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in February.

However, it’s a rivalry we’ve dominated over the years. Mostly in the trophy cabinet. We’ve won the top flight on 13 occasions compared to their two. That’s less than Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Leeds United, Derby County and Nottingham Forest have all won the top flight more recently than Tottenham, whose last success dates back to 1961. We’ve won it six times since.

Whilst the FA Cup has been Tottenham’s favourite competition over the years, their eight successes don’t match our record 13. In fact, the number eight and the FA Cup had another common bond this past weekend – Spurs’ 2-1 loss to Manchester United was an eighth consecutive semi-final exit.

Spurs’ last success in the FA Cup came against Nottingham Forest in 1991 – we’ve won it eight times since then; seven under Arsène Wenger alone. You’ll find better odds on us winning next season’s FA Cup than Tottenham. Heck, our odds for Premier League champions should also be better as Tottenham never come close!

During the Premier League era, we have won the title three times whilst last season’s second-place finish for Spurs was only the third time in the competition’s history they’ve even finished above us. And of course, they’ve never won it.

The story of the month has been Wenger’s decision to leave Arsenal at the end of the season. Many will agree it’s about time we moved in a different direction. Whilst he brought us great success in the late 1990s and early millennium he has been out of his depth for more than a decade.

Who will be Wenger’s replacement at the Emirates is what’s been on everybody’s mind these past few days. Many bookmakers have former-Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique as the favourite – though odds around 5/2 suggest this is anything but a certainty.

Joachim Loew, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel have all been strongly mentioned as alternatives. None of these suggest a clear strategy from Arsenal – two youngsters and two very experienced managers.

Luis Enrique spent three years in charge of Barcelona B before making the step up to AS Roma but wasn’t a huge success in Italy. After a sole season in charge of Celta Vigo he was given the chance at Camp Nou where he was widely expected to take charge one day.

The Spaniard won the treble in his first season – the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey, before doing the double in his second. However, Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League last season, forcing Enrique to step down, citing the job was too stressful. Do we think he could survive in the Premier League?

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