This is an excellent point from David Howell
“The other thing, with this being only September, is that we don’t know yet whether this title race is a normal one, or one where lawyers and assorted other professional interpreters of accountancy Numberwang will forcibly remove Manchester City from the equation.
“All the other teams are jostling for position in a peloton that may or may not have a sky blue breakaway to chase down. This is Schrödinger’s Table until that particular case is closed; there is indeed a huge day in the title race this week, but it’s not today. It’s tomorrow.”
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Team news: Van de Ven and Solanke return, Trossard starts
Great news for Spurs: Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke are fit to start. Big Ange has picked an extremely attacking team, with Rodrigo Bentancur playing Colin Calderwood in an Ossie Ardiles tribute XI. Brennan Johnson also comes back into the side. The four players who miss out are Radu Dragusin, Wilson Odobert, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr.
Jorginho replaces the suspended Declan Rice and will captain Arsenal in the absence of Martin Odegaard. Gabriel Martinelli replaces him, which gives Mikel Arteta a few options. Trossard or Havertz could drop into midfield, or Arsenal could play with a box. Raheem Sterling is among the substitutes.
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Updated at 14.04 CEST
Preamble
The calendar never lies, and today it says 15 September. That’s right, September. Not May, April or even December. You wouldn’t know it from some of the previews of today’s North London derby, which have stopped just short of opining that world peace depends on Team X getting a result.
All North London derbies matter, and they’re usually great fun fun for the neutral. And both teams do need a result for different reasons. But it’s still September and it’s probably more conducive to world sanity if we try to remember that.
So, why it matters. Spurs need to improve their performances:points ratio, having taken only 10 from their last 10 league games, and Arsenal could be without their entire first-choice midfield for the first time in years. That’s not ideal when you are a) playing Tottenham and b) watching Erling Haaland gambol towards the horizon. If, say, Arsenal draw today and lose at the Etihad next Sunday, they will already be eight points behind Manchester City.
Then again, if they win them both they’ll be a point above City and at least six clear of Spurs. And whatever happens, there will still be 32 league games remaining. It’s September, stupid.
Kick off 2pm.
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