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THE official Changing of the Guard may have occurred for centuries and can be witnessed every other day at Buckingham Palace, yet a little further north of the Thames it has been 18 years since the artillery division of the Premier League has ceded its position.
While it will not become formal until May, there is a growing sense that Tottenham Hotspur will finally finish the season in a higher position than their arch rivals, Arsenal.
Last weekend’s 2-1 victory was far from comfortable, although the manner of the victory marks a notable change from recent seasons and represented their 200th win in the league. Indeed this fixture boasts the most goals in Premier League history (124).
The last two matches have seen Tottenham romp into a 2-0 lead against an Arsenal backline that would benefit from some assistance from the Household Guards dressed in scarlet that defend the palace.
However, on those previous occasions Spurs slipped to a humiliating 5-2 defeat. Last season this provided Arsenal with the momentum required to overhaul a 10 point deficit in the league.
Two goals in two minutes and six seconds in the first half left Wenger to rue the manner in which his team concede quick-fire goals against the top teams, most notably against Manchester City and Chelsea in January. When Tottenham scored these two carbon-copy goals there was as much movement in Arsenal’s defence as in the statue they recently unveiled of former hero Dennis Bergkamp.
The fact that they have the best second half defensive record in the league will be of little consolation to the Arsenal manager.
Yet on Sunday, while conceding one goal, Spurs held firm to open up a seven point lead, providing them with momentum heading into the final phase of the season.
The victory means that Tottenham are now on a league-leading unbeaten streak of 12 matches.
This change in bragging rights is perhaps best symbolised in the pressure faced by the respective managers. Wenger has been in his post for so long that he has seen eight permanent and six temporary managers occupy the hot-seat at Spurs. As pressure mounts on Wenger, Villas-Boas could be the one to buck the trend.
In that time Wenger has never finished behind his arch-rivals and only ever lost five North London derbies, although four of these have come in the last four seasons. Yet defeats to Bradford City and Blackburn Rovers in the two domestic cup competitions represent a major embarrassment.
Andre Villas-Boas has now accrued 100 Premier Points and is starting to silence the doubters from early in the season. Indeed, it was his tactical acumen that stood out. When the teams were announced many questioned his decision to start with Sigurdsson instead of Holtby (who himself chose White Hart Lane over the Emirates). Yet it was his pass to Bale that led to the opening goal.
He also won the battle of the Belgian centre-backs with Jan Vertonghen rightfully receiving the Man of the Match award for a virtuoso performance in a pairing with Michael Dawson that is starting to look solid, while national partner, Thomas Vermaelen, failed to pick up the identical runs from Bale and Lennon that led to Spurs’ two goals.
Meanwhile, the Gunners’ faithful were left wondering what might have been if Podolski and the Ox had been allowed to start and Cazorla was allowed to occupy a more central role.
While there is still a long way to go, Villas-Boas will be enjoying looking down the table at his former employer, Chelsea. In fact their recent form has ensured focus now switches to the three Champions League qualification places behind runaway leaders, Manchester United.
What could complicate matters is Tottenham’s remaining fixtures, which look the toughest of all the teams competing for the top four league positions. They travel to play Chelsea on April 14 and then welcome Manchester City the following week in a sequence that could be decisive.
Crucial to their hopes will be keeping Gareth Bale fit. Anyone in doubt that Bale could continue his excellent recent scoring record before the match should have checked the record books as he has scored more times against Arsenal than any other Premier League team. The question is whether he can continue to produce these returns until the end of the season.
Villas-Boas (Manager of the Month for January) deserves credit for allowing Bale (Player of the Month) more freedom through the centre as opposed to the left wing, or even covering at left back. Even so, Totttenham boast a midfield line-up that is the envy of many, boasting strength and variety in depth.
Even Wenger admits that the number one priority is the league placing, perhaps one reason he has managed to remain as manager in eight trophy-less seasons. He referred to the ‘real value’ being in the league and must be hoping that Real Madrid can persuade Tottenham’s star to ‘Bale-out’ and head for Spain. Three titles and four FA Cup’s seem a long way away now.
The cockerel is starting to crow…
