Tottenham blew their chance to rule north London; Arsenal may not give another

Arsenal have long held the upper hand in north London, a dominance rooted in moments stretching back to Woolwich Arsenal’s move into Spurs territory in 1913 and their election to the Football League in 1919. The club’s modern high point came under Arsène Wenger, capped by the unbeaten 2003-04 season — the last time Arsenal were crowned English champions.

Tottenham enjoyed periods of supremacy too, most notably under Mauricio Pochettino. His high-intensity side forced a rethink of the local pecking order in 2016-17, cancelling the long-standing St Totteringham’s Day and finishing on a club-record 86 points, a clear statement that Spurs were no longer content with being perennial also-rans.

That window of opportunity narrowed after Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2018-19. The run underlined the quality of Pochettino’s XI but also exposed a lack of squad depth, complications caused by the stadium move and halted transfer activity after the manager publicly sought reinforcements.

England, North London

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