Friday, October 4, 2024

Saliba: Let’s pray for Tuesday

As the dust settles on a nerve-jangling afternoon at Old Trafford attention turns to Manch115ter City’s trip to Sp*rs and the prospect of our beleaguered neighbours getting a result that might put the title on a plate for us.

On the one hand, expecting them to do us a favour feels utterly ridiculous.

On the other, it would be the most Spursy thing to do and exactly the type of nonsense that has led to generations of their fans having a dead look behind the eyes.

Judging by social media, there won’t be many Sp*rs fans cheering them on for a win, so the noise may have to come from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road.

“I think all the [Arsenal] team will be Tottenham fans,” said William Saliba after Sunday’s man-of-the-match showing against Manchester United.

“Let’s pray for Tuesday. I hope it will be a good week for us. We did our job against United and we have another job at the weekend.”

Sp*rs’ interest in tomorrow’s clash will likely be influenced by tonight’s showdown between Aston Villa and Liverpool. If Unai Emery’s men win, they will qualify for the Champions League at the expense of Sp*rs, who are guaranteed Europa League football as a minimum. A draw or defeat for the Villans would leave Ange Postecoglou’s side with the chance to add a top-four finish to the league title they won at the end of September.

“They [Spurs] want to play in the Champions League next season,” added Saliba.

“I know their fans don’t want them to win against City. But they are good competitors so I think they will try their best to win against City.

“We know Tottenham is a very good team. Our first game and second game this season with them was not easy. I hope they will be at their best on Tuesday.”

We’re not quite in unchartered territory. Gooners of a certain vintage will remember relying on Sp*rs to do us a favour against Manchester United on the final day of the 1999 campaign and they teased us by taking the lead before rolling over for a tummy tickle from Sir Alex Ferguson.

As Saliba says, it’s time to pray.

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Johnny 4 Hats

Maybe someone can correct me but I can’t find a single Spurs player that came from the academy / would likely be a spurs fan. Maddison and Johnson are the only British players and I’m guessing neither give a massive fuck about this rivalry. The spurs fans can say what they want. But the players will have a go against City. Some will be looking to shine in order to get a move away or a new contract. But all will play the game with professional pride. I don’t think they are good enough to get anything and I think… Read more »

Bobbert

I believe that Skipp is their only academy graduate in their first team, and based on his hairline, he could be 25 or 45.
They’ve also a player called ‘parrot’ who might just be an actual bird, but I refuse to do research on the subject so odious, it’s really the stuff you’d expect to hear on behind the bastards.

Jeremy

Parrott is an actual bird. He’s on the club crest, standing on a beach ball.

OdalGooner

Pretty sure that is a cock on their shirts…

Arsepedant

They’re all cocks.

timorous me

Come on, pelican!

Billy bob

I thought it was a cock not a parrot 😉

OdalGooner

In fairness, it could be a parrot. Keeps saying the same damn thing. “Next year will be good!!”

A Different George

I think it’s mostly right. Players do learn about derbys and rivalries, and they know how important that match is–but that’s when they are actually playing that team, when the desire to win and the desire to hurt the rival are completely in sync. I think for almost any professional, even a local kid from the academy, you want to win every match; what happens outside that is not up to you. The only player I know to discuss this in other terms–describing very mixed feelings–is Tim Howard, now a pundit in the U.S. He talked about how beating Man… Read more »

Johnny 4 Hats

In fact, I take all this back. I hope Spurs do try to lose. Because their Spursiness will probably mean they accidentally win.

It’ll be like the bit in Trainspotting where Tommy tries to lose a game of pool to a very drunk and angry Begbie.

Cobwebs

Presume all the Spurs players will be on a cash bonus for CL qualification. Only a small % of their annual wage, but just enough to buy an extra superyatch or something.

CommunistGunner

I never thought I would be going to WHL to cheer that lot up.

Johnny 4 Hats

Are you actually going?! Haha. That’s amazing.

Which end are you in?

Abu Dhabi or bunch of twatties?

Bobbert

Look out for James in the rafters with his trumpet.

Mayor McCheese

‘trumpet’

Daveo

Best to just not tune in at all… learn the inevitable after the fact. S***s feel like a team punching above their weight all season. They’re rubbish, they’re going to get pummeled.

BillyKrystal

I see what you’re doing here. Completely agree, the cocks don’t stand a chance! I repeat, zero chance for these bums to win!

FMT

This is the truth. A Sad reality. If they had a different manager, i would have some level of confidence. A different manager will tweak the game to try and gain an advantage and surprise the opposition. But this Poutelogie is to rigid for his own good. Don’t see him lasting till end of season next season. Getting Champions League spot is critical to Spurs’ long term survival. With their new stadium, the income from champions league football is very important. The fans might not know this, but the management, playing staff, and stadium staff would be well aware of… Read more »

Mayor McCheese

Cheering for Spurs is like trying to polish a turd. You can try, but in the end, it’s just a turd.

Daveo

And your hands will be covered in shit in the end…

Gunner

This is the only game this season when Sp*rs would be relevant. They should seize this opportunity and not sp*rs it up like they usually do

RamsdaleMyHero

I think tonight’s Villa vs Pools game is also quite significant. If Villa win then that would be an 7 point unassailable lead for them going into the last game.

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

They were probably relevant when they came and took 2 points off us

Bobbert

Another shocker by pgmol on that day… Romero should have been off for a number of fouls, including handling the ball in the box.

Dr. Gooner

That game was much more about Arsenal making mistakes than them being any good.

FMT

This exactly!

Which fills me with confidence that next season, this Arsenal side will do something SPECTACULAR!!!

OdalGooner

You mean better than winning the title THIS year!? 🙂

FMT

Yeah! Pulling a Leverkusen 😄

Bill Hall

That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you have to support the spuds for 90 minutes! 🤢

Man Manny

You won’t have to support them for 90 minutes: they’ll be something like 4 goals down by halftime. So, 10 minutes max when they are just a goal down.

Doghouse

We’ve got no chance that lot doing us a massive one, can see them being 4 down with 20 minutes to go with them continuously taking the ball in to the corner to run the time down..

Granit(e) hard!

Motherfuckers! The fact that their fan base on the Internet are actually willing their team to lose just to stick us one, tells you all you need to know about how classless they are…what happened to pride in the badge eh😅 fuck em!, it’s out of our hands now, but regardless of whatever happens at the end of the season this team has done me proud 👏👏

Chuck Felsea

For me it is a very happy day today. Either the title race is in our own hands again or spurs lost. Both are very good things and one of them will happen. Excellent day already, can’t go wrong.

Luton Gooner

1-1-5, 1-1-5, Are you listening,
1-1-5, 1-1-5, I say,
1-1-5, 1-1-5, Are you listening,
Winning titles the City way.

Please Spurs/West Ham, do us a favour. I can’t stand City winning anymore.

R. Tillery

May the Gods of football have no pity,
And help the spuds to shite on City.

ChickPEA

When Sp*rs try to win they usually end up losing, so I’m quietly confident that by trying to lose they will definitely win.

IgorStepanoooo!

They ain’t trying. Half are transfer listed I’m sure (Ange alluded to it a week ago). Plus, who’s signing up for the abuse their supposed fans will Levy (thank you) at them for scoring the winner. Maybe Son will bin his reputation? No chance. Sorry all. It’s down to…..West Ham.

Daveo

West Ham fans (who actually believe they’re some sort of rival of consequence) are already talking the same. I have zero faith in S***s, but that is still more than the chances I give the [plastic] hammers. They are worse than S***s and they’re already planning their beach vacations that they’ll be flying to directly from Manch115ster…

Billy bob

I think it is unfortunately safe to say the spud and hammer dross will capitulate in the first half hour of their respective matches and make man city plastic champions again

Salibaba and the Sporty Thieves

I am part of those who find it hard to jump on the bandwagon to suggest that a bunch of players from different parts of the world whom presumably have performance related bonus clauses in their contracts would give a rats arse about a rivalry and subsequently “throwaway” the game at the expense of the monies they would be owed. Sure, it adds to the narrative and the myriad of clickbait laden articles about them “doing us/not doing us a favour” but the cold reality, is that they are detached from the rivalry in it’s purest form. Afterall, which right… Read more »

Jeremy

Two funny things can happen (probably won’t but hey ho). 1) Spurs take points off city against the wishes of their pathetic fan base. They will forever be lauded as the true ‘Kingmakers’ by gooners everwhere for the rest of their existence. 2) Spurs get battered (everywhere they go). The spurs fans cheer City’s victory/goals in front of the watching world driving their reputation further into the mud. Then West Ham do us a favour in the final game, rendering the global humiliation completely pointless. Kingmakers trophy: 3 games/3 defeats. Both would be hilarious

OdalGooner

I mean this in the nicest, most respectful way, but I would like to make sweet sweet love to your brain.

Ellis McPickle

Would be even funnier if Villa lose to Palace and they miss out on Champions league qualification by 1 point. Then lack of funds keeps them mired in mid table for a few seasons.

Dr. Gooner

To be fair it’s a terrible position to be put in as a fan base. I don’t know how I would feel in their place. Actually I do. There would be nothing worse than Spurs winning the league. Nothing.

Dr. Gooner

For the players it’s just another day in the office, but they know enough to know their fans want them to lose. They’ll probably make a show of going for it but then crumple like a wet napkin. It probably doesn’t matter though because City are just so much better, they’ll win no matter what they try to do.

Goonerrific

Well the chances of that ever happening are precisely zero – so hurrah for small mercies.

Martin

So you wouldn’t care if it cost us a Champions League place? Hard to believe.

Nigel Summerburn (LB)

What will be will be.
Let’s not waste so much energy debating on whether or not, the club with a ‘cock’ and only ‘one’ ball, for a crest/logo will turn up and play well.

Geefive

Uhh….is Emi trying to help us out? Gunner for life! Hahaha!

Ebo

It’s quite funny, we need Liverpool to do us a favour by beating Villa in a meaningless game for them so that the City game won’t be meaningless for Tottenham. Feels like a telenovela

Esm21

“A draw or defeat for the Villans would leave Ange Postecoglou’s side with the chance to add a top-four finish to the league title they won at the end of September.” 💀💀💀
Absolutely f*cking brilliant, blogs.

Billy bob

This is how dim spuds fans are, oil city will score a third or fourth goal and start changing “champions league, your having a laugh” and then it will dawn on them what a horrible club city are 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Billy bob

Suffice to say I shall be getting an early night tonight and only checking the score in the morning – that way I should have a restful night 🤣

Andrew

Let’s be clear. We want Sp*rs to lose every game they ever play and West Ham to draw one at the weekend. The idea that Sp*rs can stop Arsenal misses the point entirely and is just cover for another one of their crap displays. If Arsenal win the League we win it because we are the best team not because Sp*rs might fluke a result.

Hayduke

Well, damn. First City goal was pretty abject defending. Reminded me a bit of our goal at Old Trafford and then a soft penalty. Let’s go West Ham!

Walleye

Never understood the disdain gunner fans held for spurs. After reading the report of today’s game I understand. The idea you would want your ram to lose so that your rival doesn’t succeed is infantile. If you are a fan you always support your team to do well

ok ,so now I hate spurs too. Not because they lost to city but because the fans wanted their team to lose. Infantile morons.

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