Tottenham vs Arsenal: Calm Before the Storm

What can I say about Tottenham? Arsenal have a word for us, but I won't repeat it here. Are they right? On occasion. Gennaro Gattuso, a man Tottenham fans took to social media to reject as a potential manager, ironically might have had us sussed out the best; sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe... what Arsenal said.

We're in a strange position at the moment and a little difficult to analyse. As a club, Spurs always seem to be on the brink of something. Whether that's ending our near 15-year trophy drought, or hanging off a cliff's edge, we never have a nice quiet season, do we? Its only been 12 days since I celebrated New Year's with my family and by the time Tottenham rocked up to the steal the show at Selhurst Park, I'd already heard both LevyOut and ConteOut from the Spurs faithful.

Clearly there is more discontent aimed at Chairman Daniel Levy than our feisty Italian manager. Antonio's name was sung from minute one. As too was Levy's, no matter how hard Sky tried to edit it out, but that's never a good thing to hear when you're the man with the money. So why are the fans so upset? Well, its simple, we need trophies. And for that its abundantly clear we need players. Conte needs players. The man reaffirmed his commitment to the long-term project just days ago and now that the transfer window is open, we expect, no we demand, to see some movement.

I have no doubt that the club are trying to find reinforcements. Whatever happens on the pitch between now and our trip to Preston in the cup on the 28th, remember this, Daniel Levy knows he has another 20 or so days to bring any and all prices down, and that's the target. Quality players at minimum expense. Whomever we bring in, don't expect to see them until the year of the rabbit has kicked in. I don't begrudge him his mode of operation. He has Paratici helping now and we seem to be getting more transfers right than wrong these days. Just about. January last season Spurs recruited 2 players for modest fees who damn-near carried the club all the way into the Champions League. If Levy and co want another few weeks to give their ideas the green light, then let them have it.

Have patience.

If there's an advert for patience in football, its Sunday's opponent, our greatest rivals. What else can I say about Arsenal that won't cause my stomach to convulse? The last few years they've had discontent in spades. I'm sure we all thought Mikel Arteta was going to get sacked at least twice by now. They've suffered, but the club stayed loyal to their vision and now Arteta has the shadow of a crown over his head. How did they find their success? Two things: patience and wise business.

Ramsdale was an instant hit. Some thought his form and effect on the team might have waned by now. It hasn't. He cost £50 million less than Chelsea's Kepa. Saliba is a revelation and he cost less than Davinson Sanchez. They might have the most functional midfield in the league and despite losing Gabriel Jesus to injury during the world cup, a man they signed for £45 million to spearhead their attack, they are still full of goals. They're dangerous, they're confident and they're on their way to becoming proven winners.

On Sunday, we have a job to do; to stop that revolting revolt at the top of the table. So what's the chance we inflict only their second league defeat of the season this weekend? Well, thankfully, it isn't looking too bad. With the North London Derby, the modern trend is that the house always wins. 10 of the last 12 league matches between the sides have been won by the home team. Furthermore, Arsenal's record at our brand-new, state-of-the-art, has-everything-except-for-a-name stadium is wretched. Its 4 matches and 4 defeats for the Gunners, including a 1-0 friendly loss to Nuno Espirito Santo's rather hapless version of the Hotspurs.

But Arsenal will know this. Arteta has a knack for stirring up a narrative to inspire the troops. When they come to the ground, they'll be coming to war, in particular for revenge. Last season's drop to the Europa League stung. Even in May's formative 3-0 win over the Gunners last season its easy to forget that Arsenal started that game much the brighter and lost crucial momentum when the hammer-blow of the penalty decision went against them. Expect Arsenal to start in the same vein. They'll want the ball, they'll want to play, and Tottenham, sitting back on the counter, will let them do it. We're designed to frustrate. Hopefully on Sunday Spurs are frustrating the away fans and not the home crowd.

Our hopes for the match rest on the personnel available and whether we can weather the storm they're bringing from the dizzy heights at the top of the league. It seems likely we'll be without Bentancur, which is a huge blow already. One of Skipp, Bissouma or Sarr will take his place, which is a stark downgrade on the Uruguayan. Bissouma has struggled to find his form since his Summer move and Skipp's injuries seemed to have robbed him in similar fashion. Sarr, while bright, has only impressed against a Crystal Palace team that was already 4-0 down and a team from League One.

In defence, you should expect the unexpected, whether that comes in the form of a clean-sheet masterclass or a total disasterclass, we've seen both this month alone. Up front Son and Kane will play for 90 minutes. I like Bryan Gil, there's a chaotic element he brings to a match that is most welcome when you're watching Conte's patented pragmatic tactical approach. But do I want to be watching him to attempt to weave between Partey and Saliba on Sunday? Let me put it this way, I'll have 999 pre-dialed on my phone in case Dejan Kulusevski isn't fit enough to start the match.

In a sea of unpredictables, there remains one absolute. Harry Kane will have his say. Only once has he failed to net when Tottenham have hosted Arsenal. He's the fixture's top scorer with 14 contributions and very soon he will become Tottenham's all-time top goalscorer in all competitions. He's just one strike behind the distinctive Jimmy Greaves and it seems fated that Kane will make another headline and break another record against Arsenal. He's having a stormer of a season and is drifting nicely under the radar thanks to that Norwegian mountain City opted to purchase instead of him. In theory, its too much of a story not to happen. It feels predestined, written in the stars, as a certain football fan-cammer might say.

Do I think we can beat them? Yes. Do I think Arsenal might win the league if we don't? I'd rather not think about it. Do I think Tottenham can rally to mount their own belated title challenge? The table says we're the 5th best team in the league, and that's probably the most sane way to dissect it. Let's just aim for top 4 for now. I know that can sound mundane. Rivals will label it a small-club mentality, but let's try to have a memory longer than 10 months? It was only last season we were sat 9th in the league with no Conte, no Kulusevski and no clue what direction the club was going in (rather a lot like another of our London rivals, dressed in blue and feeling blue in 10th).

Patience.

Arsenal paved the way. Now let's beat them and walk the path they so generously carved out.

If its to be defeat on Sunday afternoon, our corner of North London will be a very glum patch indeed. Arsenal a minimum of 5 points clear at the top, celebrating in our stadium (isn't that the reason we demolished the last one?), Fulham away and City twice on the horizon. On the brighter side, maybe it'll squeeze a few more pennies out from Levy's pockets. If its to be victory, then we've seen the 'sometimes maybe good' side of Tottenham that we can only pray finds some longevity.

Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal

For once a draw might benefit both sides.