Opinion: Tottenham have had a better season than Arsenal - here is why
Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League victory has sparked a debate over which North London side has had a better season and even Arsenal fans should be in no doubt as to what the correct answer is.
Narratives change in football depending on personal biases. Tottenham supporters have already experienced this with Harry Kane. At Spurs, he was an overrated bottler who went missing on big occasions. Once he moved to Bayern Munich, he was suddenly a world-class striker who deserved to win a trophy.
These attitudes are far from exclusive to this situation. The narrative on Tottenham as a club has been altered since Wednesday. Years of mockery and being branded as the banter club of the Premier League are gone. West Ham and Chelsea supporters have turned their hatred away from Tottenham and are directing it towards Arsenal, at least for now anyway.
However, this is a narrative Arsenal will not stand for. The Gunners have come up with their own spin on recent events and the hypocrisy of it is comical.
Arsenal are the new Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal fans are claiming their team has had a better season than Tottenham because of a second-place league finish. A Telegraph journalist even took the time to write a mammoth article which created an imaginary points-based system to determine that Arsenal have had the better season. If you have time to kill and fancy a good laugh, you can read it here.
The reason this is so hilarious is because Spurs were the ‘almost’ club in England for years, finishing second in the league and losing the Champions League and Carabao Cup finals. As a result, they were the punchline of every joke.
Arsenal finished lower than Spurs six seasons in a row between 2017 and 2022, but they won the FA Cup twice in that period. Therefore, it would be silly to suggest Tottenham had the better season because, you know, warra trophy!
Now, let us apply that logic to this season. Tottenham have won a trophy, while Arsenal have won nothing. If Leyton Orient win the League One play-off final, Arsenal will not even have had the second-best season out of the North London clubs.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 37 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 85 | 40 | 45 | 83 |
| 2 | ArsenalArsenal | 37 | 19 | 14 | 4 | 67 | 33 | 34 | 71 |
| 3 | Man CityManchester City | 37 | 20 | 8 | 9 | 70 | 44 | 26 | 68 |
| 4 | NewcastleNewcastle | 37 | 20 | 6 | 11 | 68 | 46 | 22 | 66 |
| 5 | ChelseaChelsea | 37 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 63 | 43 | 20 | 66 |
| 6 | Aston VillaAston Villa | 37 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 58 | 49 | 9 | 66 |
| 7 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 37 | 19 | 8 | 10 | 58 | 45 | 13 | 65 |
| 8 | BrightonBrighton | 37 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 62 | 58 | 4 | 58 |
| 9 | BrentfordBrentford | 37 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 65 | 56 | 9 | 55 |
| 10 | FulhamFulham | 37 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 54 | 52 | 2 | 54 |
| 11 | B’mouthBournemouth | 37 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 56 | 46 | 10 | 53 |
| 12 | Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 37 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 52 |
| 13 | EvertonEverton | 37 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 41 | 44 | -3 | 45 |
| 14 | WolvesWolves | 37 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 53 | 68 | -15 | 41 |
| 15 | West HamWest Ham | 37 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 43 | 61 | -18 | 40 |
| 16 | Man UtdManchester United | 37 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 54 | -12 | 39 |
| 17 | TottenhamTottenham | 37 | 11 | 5 | 21 | 63 | 61 | 2 | 38 |
| 18 | LeicesterLeicester | 37 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 78 | -45 | 25 |
| 19 | IpswichIpswich | 37 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 35 | 79 | -44 | 22 |
| 20 | SouthamptonSouthampton | 37 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 25 | 84 | -59 | 12 |
Tottenham’s Premier League season is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things
Finishing second in the Premier League has no benefits which can compare to winning the Europa League. Both secure Champions League qualification, but only one guarantees a trophy. The fact that Spurs have been shocking in the league really does not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Arsenal supporters will claim Tottenham won a trophy they were too good to be competing in, but in all the years Arsenal have spent playing on Thursday nights, they have never won it. Mikel Arteta’s side can celebrate the we beat Real Madrid cup all they want, but oh the irony after years of criticising Spurs for doing virtually the same thing.
Trophies define a season and in London alone, Tottenham and Crystal Palace are champions and Chelsea could soon be too. But cheer up Arsenal, at least you have managed to achieve what Spurs did in their so-called banter years.
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