Arsenal legend Ray Parlour says the North London Derby wasna t as important when he was playing.
According to the England winger, it was the games against Manchester United that dominated their thinking, considering the two clubs were at loggerheads every season to win the Premier League title. Tottenham were never in the picture and it is only now that they are fighting with Arsenal to finish above them.
Lee Dixon praised the job done by Pochettino at Tottenham and said Arsenal may have a tough game. He said, a (Mauricio) Pochettino, I think hea s done a decent job. Theya ve been inconsistent at times, but they are in the cup and going well in the league. It will be a big game for Arsenal. With the points gap as it is, it can really turn your season around if you can win it.a
Dixon continued talking about the chances of who will finish 3rd and 4th, unable to put his finger on two clubs who will surely finish there.
He said, a Third and fourth is so intriguing. I cana t call it. Arsenal have tended to get a good run going towards the end of the season, we have seen that, and they have the players to do it.
a I think ita s unbelievable at the moment. Manchester United are in there, but you dona t always know which United will turn up, and Liverpool are looking better again under Brendan Rodgers, with (Daniel) Sturridge coming back a massive bonus for them. Southampton keep getting results. People expected them to fall away, but they arena t and keep grinding out results. Spurs as well, they will try and get as many results as they can.
a I dona t think anyone can get near Manchester City and Chelsea, but certainly third and fourth is going to be a great fight for a lot of teams. The pressure will kick in for a lot of teams, and that could work in Arsenala s favour because they are experienced in being in there every single season.a
Arsenal certainly have their work out once again this season, having to fend off the likes of Southampton, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool to finish in the top 4, but they are in a good run of form that they would want to continue to take advantage of any points dropped by their immediate rivals.
However, Lee Dixon could well be a little bit nostalgic during his time at the club, considering Arsenal were always challenging for the title whereas now they can, at best, hope to finish 3rd.