In what could be a make or break game for the Gunners this season North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are looking to put what could be the final nail in Arsenals coffin.
You can feel the tension in Holloway as the fans are gearing up for what could be the most important day of the season.
Three other clubs are chasing that all important 4th spot in the Premiership which means inclusion in next seasons Champion League, said to be worth £45 million to the teams that qualify.
Arsenal, and Chelsea are both tied for fourth at the moment on 43 points Newcastle on 42, and Liverpool on 39.
Spurs won their first meeting this season at White Hart Lane by a score of 2-1.
A loss at home for Arsenal would put them 13 points behind Tottenham with only twelve games left in the season, with the Gunners still having to play Newcastle, and Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Former Arsenal play Emmanuel Petit had this to say: “If they don’t get Champions League football next season it’s going to be a nightmare” Petit added: “To get back to where they were, Arsenal need to sign big players in the summer and you can’t do that if you don’t play Champions League.”
Arsenal have won just one of their last seven games, and know how important this Sundays game is to the club.
Tim Payton a member of the Arsenal supporters trust (AST) said: “It’s all a bit of a culture shock, a wake-up call for Arsenal fans that have been used to enjoying St. Tottenham’s Day”.
The day jokingly referred to by Gooners as the day when mathematically Spurs can no longer finish above Arsenal.
Of course we all know by now that St. Tottenham’s Day has been removed from the calendar for 2012.
Football writer Alex Flynn who wrote a book titled the “Great Divide” Which was all about Arsenals dominance over Tottenham told us that: “Wenger needed a challenge from his backroom staff and the board,” “This is the most significant problem he has failed to deal with.
“The other major clubs have arguably had better backroom staff and refreshed them on several occasions. Just look at Manchester United.
“Wenger has never had this and, as other clubs have moved on, Arsenal have stood still and maybe even gone backwards.
“Why has he not surrounded himself with men of quality? What on earth is (retired former Arsenal captain) Patrick Vieira doing at Manchester City?”
While all the other top flight clubs have increased wages to attract the top names Arsenal have not, and by doing so have lost two of their best players to Barcelona, and Manchester City.
The Club has a huge fan base, a brand new state of the art stadium in the Emirates, but has lost the plot when it comes to winning in 2012.
The other clubs have progressed leaving the Gooner faithful to wonder what am I doing paying £3,000 a year to watch a club that is looking more and more like a mid-table team.
