Reasons Why Arsenal Will Finish Above Spurs This Season
Only three points separated the Gunners and the old enemy when the curtain was drawn on last season, with both teams missing out on Champions League football and therefore having to do a certain amount of rebuilding on the cheap, something that the not-so-special-one is unaccustomed to.
With Mikel Arteta still in the early throes of his managerial tenure at the Emirates, the stage is beautifully set for a huge battle for Premier League supremacy in North London.
Can Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang outscore Harry Kane? Will Arteta outwit Mourinho in their head-to-head derby day scraps? Do Arsenal ultimately have what it takes to turn the tables – not just settle for winning the FA Cup or Charity Shield – and pip Spurs to Champions League football?
We take a look at the deciding factors that will make or break Arsenal’s 20/21 Premier League campaign.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will outscore Harry Kane Again
Only the foxy rocket that is Jamie Vardy managed to score more Premier League goals than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last season and with the Gabon international having announced himself as being onboard with Arteta’s red and white revolution, he should be all set to repeat the feat of outscoring the England front man in back-to-back seasons.
A real nice touch would be if the likes of Man Utd or Real Madrid came in and swooped for Kane, leaving Spurs short of options in a bare marketplace; a move that would certainly convince footy tipsters to push Arsenal’s chances this term rather than those of their neighbours.
Everything is set for the Gunners to make a serious run up the Premier League table this season
Mourinho is a Has-Been, While Arteta is the Future
Jose Mourinho has simply been dining out on his achievements of yesteryear and has not proven he has anything close to what is required in the modern game to get the results a club like Spurs want.
Added to that, Daniel Levy seems hellbent on ensuring that Spurs come close to winning something, but that they always stumble at the last hurdle.
While Mourinho is probably already manufacturing another big contract severance pay deal when he gets off to stinker this season, Arteta is rebuilding Arsenal in the image of those who went before him as well as adding a little Spanish spice of his own, using the techniques he learnt from Pep Guardiola along the way.
This is most obvious in the way the team have adopted a more progressive 3-4-3 setup, giving his star players the freedom they were crying out for and the high quality service that Aubameyang and Lacazette crave.
Spurs fans are sure to be left deflated if Harry Kane leaves the club
Arsenal Already Know How to Win, Whereas Spurs Just Never Learn
The fact is that Spurs just do not win trophies, with the club more preoccupied with making money than ever triumphing. The last time they won something of note was in 07/08 and even that was just the League Cup.
Arsenal by contrast have already delivered two trophies for their new manager and that winning feeling is something that no amount of money can ever buy.
Ultimately it is this mindset that will keep high quality players coming to the Emirates rather than heading up the road to the glitter covered monstrosity up the road.
If Arsenal Get a Good Start, They Will Be Unstoppable
When the 20/21 Premier League fixture list was revealed there were some gasps in the terraced streets that flank the Emirates, because Arsenal have one of the hardest season openings of any club.
Among their first six opponents they will face two London derbies, trips to Anfield and the Etihad, as well as visits from Leicester and Sheffield United.
If the Gunners continue their late season form of last term into this, they could very well create a great launch pad. If they do not, then they may well be playing catch up till Christmas.
