The Wenger our brigade have been silenced a little over the last couple of weeks as Arsenal scratched their way to three straight wins, with Arsene Wenger deciding to go with what's in fashion right now – a back three.
Wins over Middlesbrough, Manchester City and Leicester City threatened to ruin the Wenger out brigade's party a little – what if Arsenal go on a tear, even beat Tottenham, and finish in the top four, while also winning the FA Cup? – but looking at those three wins carefully would have calmed those worries down for the fans wanting change at Arsenal.
The Middlesbrough victory was after Arsenal rode their luck, with the team that creates the fewest chances in the Premier League giving the back three plenty of scares.
Arsenal's win over Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal was a lot more encouraging, mainly because the players showed the fight that was clearly lacking over the previous few months. However, had the ball gone a few inches under the bar, a couple of inches beyond Petr Cech's reach or if the assistant referee has not raised a flag incorrectly, the scoreline would have been completely different, so would the narrative.
The Leicester win was again encouraging from the fight and determination standpoint, even if it was a match with very little quality, with Arsenal needing an own goal, courtesy a massive deflection off Robert Huth, to claim the three points.
So, it was inevitable that the Arsenal winning run was going to end, because there were very few signs of this team actually showing the quality required to sustain the run of results.
Much to every Arsenal fan's horror, even though not to anyone's surprise, that run of wins came to an end at the ground of the club's biggest rivals.
Tottenham have been brilliant at White Hart Lane this season and they have been miles and miles and miles better than Arsenal, and they showed why. Playing with the purpose and verve, while showing the ruthlessness that Arsenal have been missing – indeed haven't shown for several years – Spurs got the better of Wenger's team to stay in the title race and ensure St. Totteringham's Day would not be celebrated this season.
And after the disappointing result, Wenger, as usual, made the defeat look like an anomaly; as if it was the biggest surprise in the world that Arsenal had gone down to Spurs and that Tottenham are currently 17 points clear of their North London rivals.
You also know the manager has stayed for too long at a club when their biggest rivals put up banners and signs that say "In Arsene We Trust" and "Arsene Wenger, We Want You To Stay."
"Look, whether I believe or not, the gap is there," Wenger said. "That is often in the final part of the season, that can go one way or the other without really reflecting the difference between the teams.
"But I know it's a good subject for the media."
It's also a subject that Wenger should be worried about.
Yes, Spurs might not win anything for another season and yes, Arsenal might end up with a title at the end of the season – although you would have to be a brave person to back the Gunners against Chelsea – but the difference in class between these two teams at the moment, or in performance, is night and day, and Arsenal are showing no signs of seeing the light yet.
