Pundit makes worrying claim about the tide shifting in North London

In a few hours, Tottenham Hotspur will take to the Emirates pitch to play in the first North London Derby of the season, just four matches into the new campaign.

Spurs are in desperate need of a win after their shock defeat at home to Newcastle last time out, with Arsenal also coming in off the back of a loss.

However, while Arsenal have looked sharp at times so far this season, Spurs have looked sloppy, fatigued, and disconnected at best.

Form tends to go out the window in a North London Derby, which may play into Tottenham’s hands at this moment in time.

Sky Sports pundit and ex-Arsenal player, Alan Smith, has claimed that the tide is shifting in North London again, with Arsenal closing the gap on Spurs.

He believes that Arsenal’s positive summer, compared to the strange goings-on at Tottenham, have resulted in the Gunners catching up a little.

Despite him being biased towards Arsenal, I can’t help but agree that Spurs have taken a step back in this early season, while Arsenal have certainly taken a step forward.

Smith said (Sky Sports Premier League on 31/08/2019 at 8:25 pm): “Emery hasn’t used him [Ozil] in the big games. Given that he’s not played a game yet I doubt that he would be [starting]. On the bench, he’s a nice option. But it’ll be interesting to see the makeup of that midfield.

“What I would say is the gap has closed between the two. I think Spurs were ahead, the league placings have shown that. But over the summer and with what Tottenham suffered, I think Arsenal now are a little bit closer to them.”

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