"It would be nice to be party poopers" - Norwich City manager wants to beat Tottenham and help Arsenal secure UCL spot

Mikel Arteta hoping to pip Antonio Conte's Tottenham to 4th place

Norwich City manager Dean Smith has claimed his side are determined to spoil Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League dreams, which would in turn leave the door open for Arsenal.

Due to their vastly superior goal difference, Spurs only need to avoid defeat at Carrow Road to claim their first top-four finish since 2019.

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However, if Antonio Conte's side do slip up against the Premier League's bottom side, that would leave the door open for Arsenal. The Gunners will need to beat Everton at the Emirates Stadium to capitalize if Spurs falter.

Norwich have endured a miserable campaign, having already been confirmed as relegated for a number of weeks. They can still move off the bottom-spot if they beat Tottenham and 19th-placed Watford drop points, something which Smith has claimed will motivate his side.

Referring to the extra £2 million Norwich would get for finishing 19th instead of 20th, Smith told a press conference (as quoted by The Mail):

“The two million could be useful and is something that it is being dangled above us, and it would be nice to be party poopers.”

The chances of the Canaries doing Arsenal a favor appear incredibly slim, as they have conceded a league high 79 goals, while also not winning their last six games.

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Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal would only have themselves to blame if Tottenham finish in the top four

The Gunners had the opportunity to secure a Champions League place as they faced their north London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 12. Arteta's side collapsed that day, losing 3-0 and having Rob Holding sent off.

They followed that defeat with a 2-0 reversal at Newcastle four days later, meaning Arsenal have lost six out of their previous 11 encounters.

During a pre-match press conference prior to the Everton clash, Arteta was asked if he felt they had let a top-four place slip from their grasp.

He replied (as quoted by The Guardian):

“It will be for sure because we were there, mathematically it was possible and it was in our hands."

“That feeling could be there if it happens, and it will take some time to take away, but that is part of football. You cannot take notice of what happened a week or two weeks ago, whether it was positive or negative, because it’s not going to have an impact on anything.”

Arteta was also asked about the current gap between his side and leaders Manchester City, to which he said:

“The league doesn’t lie and you have to be very realistic in the way you want to recruit and the way you’re going to move forward, because that’s the level have set. We’ve lost many games, we’ve lost four games playing with 10 men, which those teams don’t do. So there is a lot to learn.”

The Tottenham Twitter admin has absolutely zero chill. https://t.co/pibG5KTCpq