A massive London derby, Rafa gets to interact with the Chelsea fans again and Harry Redknapp revisits the ghosts of relegation past.
Battle of North London
While it has been said a lot in recent meetings of Tottenham and Arsenal their clash on Sunday really does have the feel of the most important in years. The mood music is all about Arsenal’s possible slippage from top dog status as AVB and Gareth Bale drive Spurs into the virtual trophy world of the top four.
But there really is very little between the sides when you look at the table. Spurs have a four-point lead going into the White Hart Lane clash and as they have learned to their cost in recent years, Arsenal have an annoying habit of finishing ahead of them by the end of the season.
This time last year it looked like Spurs were about to put a dagger in Arsenal’s heart but a dramatic 5-2 at the Emirates sparked Spurs’ slide and Arsenal’s strong finish. In the end, the Gunners would finish one place ahead of Spurs.
A lot has changed since then, and most of it is in the plus column for Spurs. Unlike Harry, AVB is not distracted by the offer of the England job, Gareth Bale is playing out of his skin and RVP is no longer lining out for Arsenal.
All those factors lead you to think that a Spurs win is not just likely but inevitable. But Arsenal’s league form hasn’t been bad at all. Yes they were outclassed by Bayern Munich and exited the FA Cup meekly but in the league they have won four of their last five and Arsene Wenger will surely have them fired up for the most important game they will play in the league this season.
An injury to Bacary Sagna will further weaken Arsenal’s shaky defence but this game is far from a foregone conclusion, even with Bale in world-class form.
Blues bothers
To describe the relationship between Rafa Benitez and the Chelsea fans as fragile is a disservice to the word. Unpopular ever since his appointment as interim boss, he hasn’t won over a certain element of the Chelsea crowd and the hostility reached a new level in midweek as the former Liverpool boss had a pop back.
We’re sure Rafa is delighted that he has a home game coming up on Saturday against West Brom, giving the Stamford Bridge faithful another chance to tell him just how much they want him out.
Add in the fact that West Brom are ‘Chelsea manager killers’ and it is a recipe for disaster. The last two Chelsea bosses (AVB and RDM) have bit the dust after league defeats to the Baggies. Will Steve Clarke, a former Mourinho deputy, end another the tenure of another Blues boss?
What the Dickens for dear old ‘Arry
We’ve never thought of it before but Harry Redknapp now has so many old haunts knocking around the Premier League that he is perfect to play the part of Scrooge if the LMA ever put on a stage production of A Christmas Carol.
And this Saturday he visits the ghost of relegation past as he brings his QPR strugglers to St Mary’s to play Southampton.
The Saints have the look of a team moving in the right direction and ‘Arry is running out of games to perform the great escape he was hired to perform. He is sure to get a hot reception from the Southampton crowd too and if results go against QPR they could be 10 points from safety and staring at spending Christmas future in the Championship.
Watching all this football will make you hungry and lazy, so no need to leave the couch, just let the lads at Justeat.ie sort out your grub this weekend.
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