Nothing beats three points in a North London derby, although judging by Mikel Arteta’s reaction, two days off runs it close.
After the disappointment of Wednesday’s draw at Wolves, Arsenal needed to make a point at White Hart Lane, and made it emphatically, winning 4-1 to re-establish a five-point lead at the top of the table.
Now, having avoided a Champions League play-off, they can take a moment to enjoy the win while preparing for what March has in store. Seven games in four competitions begin with Chelsea on Sunday, a stretch that will go a long way to deciding whether this squad writes its name into the club’s history books.
On a first free midweek since mid-December, Arteta said: “Really, really important because obviously the amount of games that we are playing in every competition is just incredible and today gives you a chance to actually take a little breath, analyse what we’re doing, and go again until the international break – we’re going to have a lot of games again.”
After the tense 2-1 win over Wolves in December, which came before the last break, Arteta spoke about the need to “reset” and “decompress” before turning attention to “certain habits” that “slowly deteriorate”.
After such an intense few days, with the players holding each other to account while taking a hammering from media and fans alike, it’s easy to see why the break is welcome.
“I am very, very proud and very happy, not for today, but what happened in the last three days because we said: OK, let’s love the players when they need it the most. But as well, sometimes the coaches and the staff, we need some love as well.
“We need some people around them with positivity, drive, and who stand up next to you when we need them. And it’s been really, really good to work with them in the last few days.”
It is not just Arsenal feeling the strain. After beating Newcastle on Saturday, Pep Guardiola urged his Manchester City squad to “enjoy life” and “take a lot of caipirinhas, daiquiris in these three days.”
Arteta’s response when asked whether he and his players would follow suit was very on-brand.
“I don’t drink cocktails. So, no, we will do our own thing,” he said.
At this stage of the campaign, Arteta seems weary of being asked whether specific wins represent turning points. As he has said from the outset, and as Guardiola has echoed, a title race like this will come with regular bumps. The challenge is to minimise them, then move on quickly.
“It feels like we’ve shown what we are made of [by beating Sp*rs], but then you have to show it again and again and again, because if you have to just analyse how you feel after every game, I mean, it’s a massive rollercoaster and it’s not sustainable.
“So, we’ve done great today, I think we’re all very proud of the manner in which we won the game, not only the way that we performed, and we know what it means to us. We go again.”
In almost all his post-match interviews yesterday, Arteta returned to a familiar theme. Dropping two points at Wolves hurt because everybody cares. For a manager who instinctively reframes negatives as positives, it was entirely in character.
“The way I could feel them after the game and the way I was feeling, it’s much bigger – this is not a job.
“When you are disappointed about what you’ve done in your job, you don’t feel that way, it’s much bigger than that. That’s our passion, it’s the purpose that we have, the objective that we have, it’s what we love doing, and then it’s very painful.
“But as well, it can be very rewarding, and today, football shows you that keep going – whatever you do, you win. Keep going. If you lose, draw. Keep going because it is worth it, especially with the people that we have in this club.”
When Arteta preaches that level of relentlessness, you can understand why he, and everyone else, is ready for 48 hours of calm.