There is certainly support for the former. Take Michael Carrick’s brilliant start at Old Trafford and Vitor Pereira securing an impressive 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in his first game as the latest Nottingham Forest boss.
If so, this is good news for new Spurs manager Igor Tudor as he looks to make an immediate impact after taking over from Thomas Frank.
As for the latter, the Gunners are playing into the hands of those saying they haven’t got the character to see this title bid through.
Blowing a 2-0 lead at Wolves in midweek means Mikel Arteta’s men have dropped points in five of their eight Premier League games in 2026.
Although Arsenal remain five clear at the top, if Manchester City win all their remaining games, Pep Guardiola’s men will be crowned champions again.
That will sit uncomfortably with everyone at the Emirates given that Arsenal have had opportunities to build a huge lead at the top.
Tottenham team news
It’s not easy to predict any new manager’s first starting XI but Tudor does have his hands tied by a list of ongoing injuries and suspensions so options are limited.
Skipper Cristian Romero serves the second of his four-match ban while Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are all still on the injured list.
But there is hope that defender Pedro Porro and striker Richarlison will be fit enough to return.
Tudor prefers a 3-4-2-1 system so that’s one obvious tweak we should see.
Tottenham expected line-up
(3-4-2-1) Vicario; Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Gray, Gallagher, Sarr, Spence; Kolo Muani, Simons; Solanke.
Arsenal team news
Arteta has a stronger hand to play with fewer players on the treatment table but there are still plenty of decisions to make.
Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick in the first meeting between these sides this season, but may be squeezed out here if Martin Odegaard comes back in.
Up front, the jury remains out on Viktor Gyokeres in big games so Gabriel Jesus may get the central striker’s role although Kai Havertz is pushing for a return too.
Arsenal expected line-up
(4-3-3) Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Tottenham v Arsenal predictions
Had this been Thomas Frank’s ailing Spurs against Arsenal, taking the 8/13 about a Gunners win would have seemed pretty much a no-brainer.
But if the new manager bounce mentioned earlier seems selective, when it comes to Tudor the evidence is absolutely black and white.
Put him in charge of a new team and he kicks off with a win. It’s happened the last five times he’s been in this position so the Croatian has a proven history of going in and waving a magic wand.
That wand will probably need to have Harry Potter-esque properties here given Arsenal’s recent dominance over Spurs but it’s certainly not beyond the realms that Tottenham can add to the Gunners’ wobbles.
The draw has merit at 3/1 and, with clean sheets unlikely, a scoring draw at 9/2 is worth investing in.
A more adventurous way to get to a draw is by trying to cash in on Arsenal not being able to defend a lead again, which happened in their two latest away games at Brentford and Wolves.
Arsenal to be leading at half-time but the game ending in a draw is a massive 16/1.