Aaron Ramsdale says Tottenham Hotspur scars are driving Arsenal’s title push
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has claimed his team are using the heartbreak against Tottenham Hotspur last year to drive their Premier League title push this year.
The Gunners were pipped to the top four by Spurs in the concluding weeks of the season. Our 3-0 win in N17 against Arsenal on 13 May played a huge, huge role in us making the UEFA Champions League this season.
This would have stung the Gunners, who could only manage a UEFA Europa League spot. Speaking in an interview (h/t Evening Standard), the 24-year-old admitted that the Gunners are using the scars of last season to push themselves in the current campaign.
“What’s driving us on is the scars of last year — no one has forgotten about what happened,” said Ramsdale. “That’s obviously a big driving force in this team. [It hurt] a lot — especially as it was to the other lot down the road, which made it even worse for our fans and for us.”
We are currently fourth in the table and on course to finish in Champions League spots. While we have maintained the status quo, Arsenal have gone several steps further and are realistically in line to win their first league title since 2004.
They lead second-placed Manchester City by two points and have a game in hand. Now this stings. Of course, Spurs fans would prefer any other team to win the league title except Arsenal.
Even Chelsea would do if it means the Gunners don’t get their hands on the trophy. But not only are the Blues completely out of the title picture, but even the Cityzens also look bland this term.
That’s just our bad luck. For a few weeks, we were in conversation to be a contender for the title before the season started to fall apart. That has perhaps been the difference here. Manager Mikel Arteta seems committed to the long-term cause and has been backed with quality players in the market.
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Uncertainty, meanwhile, surrounds manager Antonio Conte’s future at Spurs. It pains us to say this but it won’t hurt the Lilywhites to peek inside the Emirates and see what the Gunners are doing right, and learn a thing or two from them.