Tottenham will finish above rivals Arsenal and qualify for the Champions League after their 3-0 victory in the north London derby on Thursday night, Gary Neville has predicted.
The result means Arsenal remain a point ahead of Spurs in the race for the final top four place but Neville believes Mikel Arteta’s “lightweight” side will not win their final two games of the season.
The Gunners travel to Newcastle on Monday night before finishing their campaign at home to Everton, while Tottenham host Burnley on Sunday and then play Norwich on the final day.
Neville said Arsenal struggled to deal with the occasion of the derby, while adding that Antonio Conte got the better of Mikel Arteta, which the former Manchester United defender believes will set the tone for the final two weeks of the season.
He told the Gary Neville Podcast: “You’d want Tottenham’s games - Burnley at home and Norwich away. Newcastle away [for Arsenal], that’s going to be really tough, especially if Spurs have won on the Sunday. Everton at home on the last day, if Everton need points, then they’ve got two really tough games.
“I think Tottenham will beat Burnley and Arsenal will have to win their last two matches - but I’m not sure they will. Tonight was a really big blow - I might be wrong and I’m neutral between these two clubs - but I do feel now if I had to put money on it, it would be on Tottenham.”
Arsenal were rocked by Rob Holding’s first-half red card, which was quickly followed by Harry Kane’s back post header to put Spurs two goals in front against 10 men. Neville said Arsenal had initially reacted well to the atmosphere in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but lost their way as the hosts gained control.
“Arsenal came out in that first five minutes almost like the lightweight against the middleweight whereby they were quicker and sharper, but then the powerhouse of Tottenham gradually started to come,” Neville said.
“It’s a big moment for Mikel Arteta. There is a lot of pressure on these young managers. I know he [Arteta] takes the job, and he is paid handsomely for it. But how he is viewed is dependent on the sending off tonight and then what happens at Newcastle on Monday.
“It almost shapes his career and determines whether he is a success or not, but I think Mikel Arteta has done a very good job for Arsenal. Getting a Champions League place would mean he has won the FA Cup and taken them into the top four - he’s starting to build a successful CV. If he doesn’t get top four and Conte does, it will start to come down on him a little bit.
“I think he has a long career in the game, so it’s not going to be dependent on what happens on Monday. But these steps up the ladder and these leg-ups that you need as a manager and these little bits of luck... We will see if Lady Luck will be on his side next week.”
