Former Liverpool idol Jamie Carragher hasn’t pulled any punches in a scathing attack on Tottenham. Of course, Sky Sports is in the business of selling subscriptions, and so it comes as no shock that the presenter is piling the pressure on Tottenham’s interim boss to get off to a flyer against Arsenal in this weekend’s North London Derby, held at Tottenham.
Arsenal are league leaders but come in vulnerable after a recent embarrassing loss to bottom-placed Wolves, exposing defensive fragility and needing a big reaction.
Spurs are in crisis mode: deep in relegation trouble, hit by a major injury/suspension crisis (multiple key players out), and this is the first game for new boss Igor Tudor (appointed recently, with limited prep time—about 12 days, but really short for a full reset).
Recent history favours Arsenal heavily—they’ve won the last four Premier League meetings against Spurs, and the Opta supercomputer simulations give Arsenal a 60% win probability, making them clear favourites. Callager said:
“Analysing the quality of the squad Igor Tudor leads for the first time in this weekend’s North London derby, the scale of the challenge is obvious.
“The concern is the prolonged dip under his two immediate predecessors, and how soon that can be reversed.
“There is no escaping the shadow of the dreaded ‘R word’ at Spurs. Relegation is possible.
“Add ‘ridiculous’ or ‘reprehensible’ and plain ‘rubbish’ to the valid descriptions of their record over the past 27 months, which has led them to this perilous situation.”
Spurs are underdogs, very much so, with injuries, poor recent form (losses piling up), and a new manager bounce that’s uncertain at best. But football’s magic lies in these exact scenarios: motivated underdogs at home in a derby with everything to play for.
If Spurs start fast, feed off the crowd, and exploit any Arsenal nerves, a win (or at least a draw) is very much on the cards.
