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These are nervy times. While the prospect of heading into the North London Derby knowing a win could clinch top four is one Arsenal fans are starting to entertain, this is far from over.
Just four matches remain of this engrossing Premier League season, one where there is everything still to play for across the table.
Up in the elite section is a title battle between Manchester City and Liverpool that is set to go down to the wire, all the way down at the bottom a three-way tussle to avoid the drop has emerged between Burnley, Everton and Leeds, and over at the European spots there is still no certainty over who will clinch fourth.
The matches involving Arsenal and Tottenham this weekend impact all three of those subsections.
4 big worries for Arsenal in the top four race against Tottenham with just four Premier League matches left to play
Spurs will make the daunting journey to Anfield looking to maintain their push for a top four place just as Liverpool want to keep their title bid in tact. The other side of north London is clearly involved in a top four chase too, with that result also having huge permutations on the outcome of the relegation places.
It’s exciting…for some.
For the other more jittery Arsenal fans around (guilty) all manner of thoughts are running through the head, mapping out every worst case scenario and inflicting unnecessary personal worry. It’s quite hard not to, though, as so much is on the line.
What is most worrying? Well, for the final furlong, four areas spring to mind.
1. Facing Two Relegation Candidates
Seeing Leeds and Everton as the remaining home games on the fixture list, who combined have only three more points than Arsenal, would normally be a source of relief. They’re very poor teams who are fighting relegation for a reason.
The fact that the pair are on the agenda at the tail end of the season when their respective Premier League statuses are on the line provides significantly less scope for optimism.
There have been some miraculous escapes from the jaws of the Championship down the years, with Sunderland’s memorable survival in 2014 when they were seven points from safety with just six games to play being one of them. That final run saw them secure wins away at Chelsea and Manchester United, among others.
It proves that even the worst teams pull off the biggest surprises, and in that season it required 36 points to avoid the drop. As it stands Leeds have 34, which shows that they’re far from the worst we’ve seen in this division.
Sides scrapping for their lives can often find a new gear. Playing two of those, whether at home or not, is anything but ideal. Mid-season wouldn’t be a problem, but when it’s two thirds of the possible candidates at the business end of the calendar it does strike fear into the heart.
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2. The Pressure Gets to the Arsenal Players
This team have been praised plenty across this season, although their struggles when faced with pressure has been a constant concern. It’s something the manager can have trouble with too.
In the win over Manchester United there was a period where Arsenal crumbled. They had the woodwork to thank numerous times, as well as Aaron Ramsdale, and the way the composure drained from the entire squad was deeply concerning.
Everyone knows that this team is incredibly young and that for many of the players this is a kind of challenge they’ve never experienced before. From where they’ve been previously they’re now battling some of the best sides in Europe for a place in the Champions League. This is new territories.
When every game now has such incredible emphasis on it, results elsewhere also play a huge role.
Of the four remaining matches Tottenham hold one key advantage in that they play first on two occasions. One of the four games is the derby and the other is the final day, so this team will have known the outcome of what has happened up the road and then react accordingly. That is immense pressure to be under for a group who over the years, not just this season, have faltered at such a hurdle.
We believe in them. They just need to believe in themselves.
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3. Tottenham Pulling off a Shock vs Liverpool
Liverpool are ******* incredible. An absolutely astonishing football team with an exceptional manager and world class players in every position. What they have achieved under Jurgen Klopp gets all the acclaim going and it still isn’t enough to justify their magnificence.
They will play every possible game available to them this season. Why? Because they’ve made it to every single final going.
Still on course for an unprecedented quadruple, most will back them for the Champions League and FA Cup, too. What may be the toughest task left is keeping their consistency in the league and hoping that Manchester City slip up somewhere. It almost entirely rests on City dropping points, since the Reds are nailed on favourites to win every game going.
Except for Saturday.
We’ve been here before. Tottenham, heavily unfavoured, going away to a title challenger and pulling off a shock. When all of an Arsenal affiliation had their trip to Manchester City nailed down as a home banker, they pulled off a crazy 3-2 away win. It hurt.
Granted, they followed it up with a 1-0 defeat at Burnley, but it would feel different this time, especially with that momentum heading into the North London Derby and Arsenal having to play the day after any potential Anfield triumph.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, right?
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4. Bukayo Saka is More Injured Than We Think
He’s been kicked to pieces all season and it is just beginning to look like the rotational fouling on Bukayo Saka is starting to tell.
That’s now two games running where he’s been unable to complete the match, and on both occasions it didn’t merely look like fatigue. He was unable to walk at the end, irrespective of what Arteta has said.
"“Bukayo was fine, he was really fatigued and he has been through a little injury as well,” the boss said post-West Ham."
It’s that last part which doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence. While the manager has said he’s ‘fine’ and therefore it shouldn’t be a concern, he’s also been known to bend the truth on player availability and fitness.
Saka is absolutely vital to this team. He has been, he is, and he will be in the future. The thought of having Nicolas Pepe come into the team in his stead is disheartening.
Perhaps it is just worrying too much. Perhaps it’s a subconscious way of trying to lower expectations in case the season doesn’t end up with a top four finish. Either way, it plays on the mind.