Image Source : AP Harry Kane
It wasn’t simply the sound of Tottenham followers hurling disparaging however playful chants at Arsenal gamers that was an uncommon one this season.
Victory over Arsenal within the north London derby stored Tottenham prime of the Premier League in December. It turned out to be a quick few weeks when not solely 2,000 followers had been allowed into Tottenham’s stadium however Jose Mourinho’s aspect was within the title race.
Three months on, even reclaiming a spot within the prime 4 is proving difficult with seventh-place Tottenham 5 factors behind Chelsea, albeit with a recreation in hand. Perhaps the one consolation for Mourinho from the demise of Tottenham’s bid for a primary English title since 1961 is the plight of Arsenal.
“I look up, I don’t look down,” the Tottenham supervisor stated. “If Arsenal was seven factors forward of us, I’d look to them. But as a result of we now have seven factors greater than them, I don’t look down.”
With two wins from its final seven league matches, Arsenal is barely simply within the prime half of the standings in tenth place. The solely path again into the Champions League for each groups could possibly be by profitable the Europa League, they usually received the primary legs of their last-16 video games on Thursday.
“A little bit like us they’re trying to build a better future,” Mourinho stated.
The future might look extra promising for Tottenham based mostly on the ahead line. Harry Kane has 16 objectives and 13 assists and Son Heung-min has 13 objectives and 9 assists — placing them within the league’s prime 4. But it’s important to drop far down within the rankings to seek out Arsenal gamers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring 9 objectives every and with solely three assists between them this season.
Even Arsenal Mikel Arteta is in awe of a Tottenham aspect that has scored 102 objectives in all coemptions this season — a haul eclipsed solely by by Bayern Munich amongst groups in Europe’s prime 5 leagues.
“It’s very difficult because the level of quality, precision, understanding and chemistry that they have between them makes them probably one of the most special (attacks) in Europe,” Arteta stated. “And they don’t need much. They are able to create their own chances, they are able to link as a team. So it is really difficult to do.”
Kane additionally contributed each objectives in Thursday’s European win over Dinamo Zagreb. It’s the flexibility of Kane that impresses Mourinho, along with his potential to drop deeper, working within the No. 10 function in addition to the No. 9 spot main the assault.
“When a striker is the kind of goal scorer who can only play in that position, it’s more difficult because when they lose that intensity of the younger people then they have nothing,” Mourinho stated. “But the form of gamers (like Harry), I feel they get higher with time, with expertise, with understanding of the sport.
“At this moment you see Harry and (Karim) Benzema, who’s already 33 now, this kind of striker. They’re very intelligent so they can drop back and assist, transform their game. Later in their career, instead of being the No.9 target, they become a nine-and-a-half, between a nine and a 10.”
Kane will get to face an Arsenal protection that has stored only one clear sheet in its final 12 matches.
“The amount of chances that we are conceding has been really low,” Arteta stated. “But the quantity of probabilities that we now have given to the opponent has had a huge impact within the objectives that we now have conceded.
“So it depends on us a big part, which is a really positive thing, but we know that it is a part that we want to eradicate to be more consistent with results.”
