The final international break of the European season is behind us. That means supporters can now focus solely on club football. For fans of north London giants Arsenal and Spurs, the next month and a half will be crucial. Both have seven more Premier League matches to play, and those seven games could have a huge influence on the future of each club.
The Gunners have recently lost the League Cup final to Manchester City and been upset by Championship side Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. However, they remain huge favourites to win the Premier League. Bookmakers price Mikel Arteta’s men at odds of just 1/7 to claim the title. In contrast, Man City, who trail the Gunners by nine points in the league, are priced at 11/2. Additionally, Arsenal are also favourites for the Champions League.
They have never won that competition in their long history, while they have been without a league title since 2003/04. If Arsenal can win either of the two biggest trophies this season, their domestic cup exits will quickly be forgotten. However, if they do not, and especially if they again finish second in the Premier League, a campaign that once had fans talking of a quadruple will have unravelled. No side has ever finished runner-up in the top flight of English football four seasons in a row. However, the Gunners could be just a few bad results away from making a very unwanted piece of history.
A Much Bleaker Picture for Spurs
Tottenham supporters are never likely to have much sympathy for their rivals in red. But they certainly won’t have any at all this season, no matter what happens. Missing out on trophies you might have been prematurely making space in the trophy cabinet for is one thing. But relegation is quite another.
Spurs are one of the Premier League ‘Big Six’, and not so long ago, they were part of a group trying to form a breakaway European Super League. They are one of just six clubs to be ever-present in the PL. However, that status is very much at risk.
Tottenham recently dispensed with Igor Tudor, who had been in charge for just seven games. They moved swiftly to replace the Croatian, appointing former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian has already created a stir due to his support for Mason Greenwood, and many fans are deeply unhappy with his appointment. The man who was Greenwood’s boss at Marseille has just seven matches to save his new club. As a result, even the slightest whiff of discord and disunity off the pitch could prove too much.
If Spurs do go down, it would represent one of the most seismic events in modern English football. Although they finished 17th in the league last term, they won the Europa League and finished fourth in the league phase of this term’s Champions League. After 11 games this season, they were fifth in the table. Relegation was unimaginable then, and for Tottenham supporters it remains unthinkable now.
Seven Games to Save Spurs
While some Spurs supporters may be unhappy with De Zerbi representing the club, many others realise that they have to get behind him and the squad if they are to stay up. Tottenham were last relegated in 1976/77 and spent just one season out of the top flight. Indeed, the 1977/78 campaign is their only one outside of the top tier of English football since 1949/50.
Aside from that historical perspective, the financial impact of relegation would be huge. It could set the club back five years or more in terms of re-establishing themselves among the top teams in the land. And then there is the gloating and mockery from Arsenal fans, and just about everyone in the country as well.
Spurs are just one place and one point above another major rival, West Ham. The Hammers occupy the final relegation spot, but Tottenham’s form is a major concern. The club have not won a league fixture in 2026. They have taken just one point from the last 21 available, and they need to improve very quickly.
They have games against two relegation rivals, Wolves and Leeds, among their final seven matches. Given their five other fixtures are all against clubs in the top 11, those two games look like must-win affairs for De Zerbi and co. Tottenham are currently just 11/8 with some firms to go down (though 2/1 elsewhere), which indicates how serious their situation is. If the new manager cannot get a response from his players, Spurs will go down, and given they have injuries to contend with too, that 2/1 may just look like decent value.
Gunners Glory Would Really Rub Salt in the Wounds
For the sake of the rivalry between them, some Arsenal supporters would probably prefer Spurs to stay up, which is not to say the same fans would not also delight in their relegation. However, we doubt there are any fans of Tottenham hoping that Arteta can finally get his troops over the line and win one of the two huge pieces of silverware that remain within their grasp.
Should the men from the Emirates win the league or the UCL, and Spurs also get relegated, it would be an unimaginably painful season for Tottenham fans. But can the Gunners do it? It remains a big ask for them to win the Champions League. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and even Liverpool are far more experienced than they are at this stage of the competition.
However, despite their recent domestic cup wobbles, we predict that the Gunners will hold their nerve and win the Premier League title. The bookmakers’ odds of 1/7 indicate that they agree with us. Clearly, a nine-point advantage is huge at this stage of the campaign.Could Man City Close the Gap?
Manchester City have a game in hand. Additionally, they host the Gunners on the 19th of April. Nine points could easily become three, but even then, Arteta’s side would remain big favourites. Four of their final seven league games are at home. Moreover, aside from that trip to the Etihad, Arsenal’s fixtures look kind.
They face Fulham at home at the start of May. That is their only other game against a club currently in the top 10 (the Cottagers are ninth). They also face two of the bottom three. Finally, City have not been at their best all season. They seem unlikely to win all of their remaining games. Therefore, we think that the Gunners will win the Premier League, even if they do slip up during the run-in. Whether or not Spurs will be one of their opponents when they seek to defend their title in 2026/27 remains to be seen!
No comments added yet. Be the first!