Lipstick and pizza box at the ready — now I’ll get to work on Wenger banner
forr the second
P ree mimi ee rr L e a g u e n o r t h Londonndon derby of the season, wee will be, as usual, a neutral observer.server. One hand in the crisp packetcket and a mind as blank as a newly-wly-dusted mirror. The word you’reu’re looking for is zen.
The derby is Spurs’ second outingting on Sky Sports 1 in a week,eek, after their 1-0 win at Crystalystal Palace on Wednes-Wednesdayy night, an impressively ground-ound-out result decided by a Christian Eriksen zinnggeerr from 25 yards (right).ght).
That result — Spurs’ eighthghth Premier League winn on the bounce — meanseans the gap between themem and Chelsea is backck to four points, with Spursurs now holding a significantlygnificantly bet-bet- ter goal difference. Could they do it? Could they? WELL COME ON, COULD THEY? This is the sort of agitated feeling the TV Guide usually gets when something is definitely not about to happen — but Spurs under Pochettino are getting closer every season to actually doing something — and maybe, just maybe, this year is the one.
As for Arsenal, well, while Spurs were winning at Palace, the Gunners were also winning, 1-0 against Leicester City. This result has thrown the TV Guide somewhat off kilter, since we had been preparing ahead of Sunday a (completely neutral) WENGER OUT banner made out of a flattened-out pizza box daubed in Mrs TV Guide’s lippy.
The plan was to wave this at the telly for the full 90 minutes, plus stoppage time,time, regardless of Arsenal’s performance,ance, in completely reasonabreasonable protest at the fact that the Gunners aare only in the FA Cup Final this seasoseason and are slight outsiders to qualify forfo next season’sson’s Disappointing ChargeChar To The Champions League LastL 16. But now Arsenal aare playing okay again, so what’swh a man to d o ? WeWe nn gg e r O u t ? Wenger In? WengerWe Just Popping Back Occasionallyally To Make Sure Everythingrything Is As HeH Left It? It’s very hard to knknow where to stand.
Perhaps the only reasonableble thing to do in this situationtion is to offer somsome cautious praise for WengerWenger’s decision to plplay three at the back in recent matches, wwhilewondd e r i n g if the new system wwill survive what should really be its most intense examination to date as Harry Kane and Dele Alli run at it. TThat would be the professional way to lookloo at things and, for once, the TV Guide mightm stop wittering and leave it at that.