“How could that have been allowed to happen?” – Jamie Carragher questions Arsenal over shift in power in north London
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has berated Arsenal for allowing city rivals Tottenham Hotspur to overtake them over the last few years.
The former England international was speaking on The Overlap and spoke about the has happenedift that happened in north London in recent years.
“For a long time now, certainly in the last four or five years, Tottenham have been better than Arsenal.
“I know they have won nothing. I always say Arsenal is a bigger club than Tottenham. As a kid growing up, I know they are.
“But for the last four or five years, Tottenham have been better than Arsenal, how could that have been allowed to happen?”
Arsenal are a historically bigger club than Tottenham and have enjoyed a sustained period of dominance and success in the past.
The Gunners were regulars in the latter stages of European competitions, frequently contested in the upper echelons of the Premier League and consistently won trophies.
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However, there has been a power shift in the capital over the last few years and Tottenham have arguably usurped their city rivals.
The Lily Whites finished above the Gunners in the league for the first time in 22 years in 2017 and have finished above Arsenal every year since then.
Their latest league campaign saw them overcome the odds stacked against them to secure a top-four finish, condemning Mikel Arteta's side to the UEFA Europa League.
Arsenal need to reclaim superiority in north London to adequately gauge the progress being made
The north London derby is one of the fiercest and most historic city rivalries in English football.
With Tottenham having enjoyed superiority in recent years, the Gunners will have to wrest control back in their city before aiming for sustained dominance at the top.
Arsenal have been away from the UEFA Champions League for six seasons and this lack of elite continental football has negatively affected the club's finances.
Some form of progress has been made under Mikel Arteta's management but their spectacular implosion in the top-four race this season was anticlimactic.
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The club needs to return to competing with the biggest clubs on the continent and city dominance is the first step towards achieving this.
The level Manchester City and Liverpool currently operate on is beyond reach for the Gunners in the near future.
Chelsea's change in ownership means their immediate future is somewhat uncertain but the easiest step back for the Gunners to get back into the top four is by displacing Tottenham.