Former Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart has expressed doubts over Arsenal’s ability to sustain long-term title challenges, ahead of the highly anticipated north London Derby. Despite Arsenal’s strong performances in recent seasons, van der Vaart does not consider them as the main contenders to dethrone Manchester City this year.
Van der Vaart, who played for Spurs between 2010 and 2012, scoring 28 goals, shared his thoughts with BetMGM, saying, “Many think Arsenal will be the ones to serve it up to Manchester City, but I don’t agree. City and Liverpool look the two best sides to me.” He further elaborated that it’s difficult to maintain momentum season after season, and he is concerned about Arsenal’s ability to stay competitive in the long term.
He acknowledged the challenge Arsenal face, having narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in recent years. “It’s so hard to keep going again and again, season after season, and I look at the Arsenal team in the long-term and worry about them. I can’t see Arsenal winning the Premier League this season.”
Van der Vaart was particularly impressed with Liverpool’s recent performance against Manchester United and believes they, along with City, are the true title contenders. “City are definitely the favourites, but don’t write off Liverpool. They looked so stable and everything looked very easy,” he said.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s derby, van der Vaart believes Tottenham might have the upper hand due to Arsenal missing key midfielders Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Mikel Merino. “I give Tottenham a real chance on Sunday,” he said, emphasizing the significance of losing such important players. “It doesn’t matter what team you are—if you lose two or three really good players, particularly all in the same position, it makes things really hard. I really think Spurs can take advantage of it.”
Van der Vaart also believes the result could be a pivotal moment for Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. “If there’s ever a time for Spurs to show what they are about, then it’s now. It’s the sort of result Ange needs to show that he’s a manager that can take Tottenham to the next level.”
