Pressure is mounting for Arsenal. The Gunners have suffered three straight defeats and now see their place in the Premier League standings starting to slip. After losing to Manchester United and Swansea City in the past week, Arsenal enters the weekend facing a must-win match against Tottenham. A loss knocks Arsenal out of contention for the Premier League title and puts Arsene Wenger's job on the line.
With 10 games left to play, Arsenal is six points behind Leicester, who lead the Premier League standings entering the weekend. Tottenham sit in second place, while the Gunners sit in third. While the matchup between the two rivals on Saturday does not knock Arsenal completely out of the title race, it will make the climb much steeper. The Gunners have not looked the part of champions after three straight defeats, as Wenger blames bad luck for the losses.
"We had a bad result; luckily everyone around us got beat so we didn't lose too much ground," Wenger said. "Losing three on the trot is not the best, but what better way to get your confidence up than by going to White Hart Lane and beating Tottenham? Forget what's gone on, focus on Saturday and a chance of gaining points on the teams above you."
If Arsenal were to lose to Tottenham, the critics around Wenger would rise. The manager is facing concerns about his job security despite his long tenure with the team, as the Gunners entered this season expecting to be champions. They spent plenty of money in the offseason trying to achieve that goal. Wenger has done his best to silence the critics and not buy into the doubt, but if Arsenal slips, he could be headed elsewhere. Wenger told the media that right now, he is focused on Saturday and trying to get the team to defy the odds against them.
"What we want to do is defy all the odds that are against us at the moment," Wenger said. "The best way to do it is to fight together for that. We have come out of a bad week so we want to have a good week now. We are professional and we want to focus on how we respond to the defeat."
The Spurs can sense the nerves of Arsenal heading into Saturday's match. Tottenham legend Gary Mabbutt believes that the Gunners are more scared about losing this match than their opponent, which could go a long way in dictating the outcome. Tottenham is also coming off a loss after falling to West Ham. Arsenal certainly has a chance to turn the tables in the Premier League standings, but confidence will be the x-factor in doing so.
