This weekend saw both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have missed opportunities to improve their situation in the race for a top-four finish. The Gunners fell 1-0 to Southampton; Spurs also lost by a similar score against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Furthermore, to throw another twist into the race, Manchester United secured a win against Norwich City, 3-2, to overleap The Gunners as they now occupy fifth place.
With only a handful of fixtures left in the season, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will come away with that fourth-place finish. Nonetheless, it won’t stop pundits from making predictions as former England star Owen Hargreaves shared his thoughts in the race.
“Fixture-wise, it’s tough for Arsenal,” Hargreaves told Premier League Productions (via Metro). ‘They struggled against Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton. They’ve got Chelsea, Man United, West Ham, Leeds, and Tottenham coming up. Looking at Arsenal’s fixtures, I’m saying no.”
“I know they’re close, but if you’re losing and not scoring against Palace, Brighton, and Southampton, you’re going to struggle. It’s made it really difficult for them. Tottenham are still in the driving seat because they’re ahead. Arsenal have that game in hand, but I think Arsenal will fall short with the fixtures they’ve got. Manchester United are just too inconsistent. Tottenham should be able to get the job done.”
Tottenham have a chance to bounce back next week when they face Brentford, but it won’t be an easy task considering The Bees are on a three-game Premier League winning streak.
Furthermore, one of those three victories is against Chelsea, so they’ll need to avoid another performance as they did on Saturday against Brighton & Hove Albion.