Pundits have already recalled that Arsenal have extended their lead in the title race and all eyes will be on Sunday’s Premier League summit clash as they have a chance to go six points clear.
Ever since we started publishing league tables after the first round of matches, reading too much into early season results has become increasingly infectious. Twelve games into the Premier League, Nottingham Forest will be appointed as their third manager.
Once the Manchester United vs. Everton contest completes its latest set of fixtures, each team will have 26 games remaining. We still have a long way to go. So why does the North London derby feel so special to Mikel Arteta?
Well, there’s a simple answer. Every game will be especially meaningful for Arteta until his side, Arsenal, take a firm lead at the top of the Premier League.
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Arsenal have 11 players and it is already a squeaky break. That’s a bit of a ridiculous statement, considering the Gunners haven’t lost in the Premier League since August 31 (a 1-0 comeback at Anfield was their only defeat in the competition this season).
However, many say that if Arsenal don’t win this season, Arteta won’t have a better chance. And those same people will be watching intently for a long time for any signs of error on Arteta and Arsenal’s side, especially after being winless from the top flight in 2022-23.
And the good news for Arsenal fans is that they’ll have a hard time finding it. Sure, losing Gabriel, the best operator in the heart of the defense this season, to injury is a blow (though not as long-term as initially feared), but Arteta now has a squad capable of dealing with the decline in fitness.
Thanks to the patience shown by the club, Arteta has developed a squad with a balance of fast-developing youngsters, great talent who are well at home in Arteta’s way, and new blood and ideas. Players are tied to new contracts, the academy production line is humming with quality and there is tactical continuity no matter what Arteta’s fielding XI.
Forget the minor blunders in the last game against Sunderland, this looks like Arsenal’s team and manager have taken the final steps towards title-winning maturity. But it took time.
And that’s something those currently making management decisions at Spurs should keep in mind. Patience is the new necessity.
Thomas Frank showed himself to be an excellent long-term planner during his time at Brentford University. And his start with the Spurs was more solid than spectacular. But after the Big Ange year, what those at the top wanted was stability.
That may not be what some fan bases are looking for, but Frank comes across as a manager with a slow burn of real influence. Tottenham’s reign so far has not seen many offensive outbursts, with the team conceding less than one goal per game compared to 1.7 goals per game under Postecoglou last season.
That’s what good managers do. Make sure the basics are sorted first. Again, that requires patience, the same patience that was shown against Arteta.
Of course, from the outside looking in, many pundits will be assessing Arteta on a match-by-game basis, waiting for any signs that Arsenal might miss out on another golden title chance. That’s why this year’s North London derby seems to have even more significance than previous years.
But nearly six years after stepping through the gates as Arsenal manager, Arteta has taken on a different character. He is comfortable, growing and calmer.
And, more importantly, he has a squad capable of dealing with setbacks, even if one of them arrives in the form of a North London derby defeat at the Emirates. With 26 games remaining for each club, the title race will remain wide open after this latest fixture. But whatever happens, Arteta and Arsenal will remain calm.
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