Mauricio Pochettino's title hopefuls Tottenham can steal a march on uneasy Arsenal against an erratic Liverpool

AFP/Getty Images
John Dillon26 August 2016

The mini-league table of England’s ‘Big Six’ football bosses won’t be imaginary for very long.

A few more collisions between Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and the rest of the Hollywood dug-out set and the graphics boys and girls of Twitter will be at work placing them in order, in the same way that the table of London’s derby in-fighting works.

All part of the endless fun of modern football’s expanded world.

After one fixture – OK, it’s just one - it is Jurgen Klopp who has made the very early running. But it is difficult to see Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino being as flaky against Liverpool on Saturday as Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were on the opening weekend of the season.

Spurs haven’t quite hit top gear after drawing with Everton and then beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in their first home game, although they had enough chances to make that score-line more emphatic.

Yet already they are transmitting a greater sense of purpose, clarity and mission than their somewhat befuddled north London rivals.

They look mentally tougher again, as they did for most of last season even though they managed to surrender the runners-up spot to their biggest rivals right at the end.

Tottenham vs Crystal Palace: In pictures

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New signings Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama have both made a positive impact, while the introduction of Arsenal’s £35million arrival Granit Xhaka seems to be happening in timid, careful steps which have added to the sense of impatience troubling many of their fans and former players.

And with Liverpool’s early league form erratic, it is unlikely that they will find as much defensive laxity on offer in N17 as they did at the Emirates two weeks ago.

But with both Arsenal and Burnley having punished Liverpool’s own sloppiness, it is not hard to envisage Spurs taking advantage, particularly as there are already burgeoning signs of an understanding between Janssen and Harry Kane.

This is the first test against the elite for Pochettino’s team, and he insists they have now exorcised the demons of their 5-1 final-day collapse at Newcastle last May.

It also represents an early examination of how well they have learned the lessons hammered home so painfully as their title challenge faltered.

In the final three games after a consistent pursuit of Leicester, Spurs drew at Chelsea, were beaten at home by Southampton and then were thrashed in the north-east. It was like a particularly cruel taunt from history as Arsenal slipped ahead of them once again and were allowed to stage another mocking St. Totteringham’s Day.

This makes it understandable that some supporters are keeping their counsel so far this season. And certainly, it will be more difficult for the club to make a major title challenge with Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea all taking on board new managerial rocket fuel as well as host of big signings.

But watching Spurs against Palace, at least, you had to agree that there were early signs that they have rediscovered their drive and assuredness.

Arsenal’s fixtures have been tougher but that shouldn’t matter while they see themselves as the senior partner along the Seven Sisters Road.

Their gleeful celebrations as they overhauled Spurs confirmed the old adage that the table never lies. Yet there was a still a hollow ring to it all.

Last season was one in which Arsenal should have won the title by taking advantage of the troubles of United, City and Chelsea. Topping Spurs was just a consolation prize in the greater scheme of things.

Now, with only one point, they are already five behind United, City and Chelsea. Of course, the rider about this being merely the dawn of the new campaign has to be applied again.

Arsenal's summer 2016 transfer window timeline

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But in a season in which those three leading teams already looked so powerful even before a ball was kicked, the prospect of being this far behind them already would have been an uneasy one for Wenger.

And there is unease around Arsenal – among the supporters who jeered them off against Liverpool, and across a game increasingly baffled by Wenger’s refusal to accept that the title race is basically a transfer market arms race nowadays.

This was why there was so much frustration when Xhaka was only a 67th-minute substitute in the opening match. His first full appearance was then in a goalless draw at Leicester.

This is a season which will test Wenger far more than the last one. While Spurs set out against Liverpool this weekend to show that they have learned from the bitter experience of their stumble last May, even Wenger’s most committed loyalists are beginning to wonder if he is simply repeating the same mistakes. They have a very good point.

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