After five Premier League Matchdays in the 2025/26 season, Tottenham Hotspur sit third in the table on 10 points, ahead of Bournemouth (whom they lost to) on goal difference and just one goal behind eternal rivals Arsenal in terms of the differential.
This past weekend, Tottenham dropped points against Brighton on the road, but they did come from behind at 2-0. Meanwhile, rivals Arsenal also dropped points, drawing Manchester City 1-1 with another listless performance that featured the worst of Mikel Arteta's frustrating and overtly defensive approach. In truth, they were fortunate to have even tied at all.
Watching the uninspiring way in which Arsenal play and scrounge out results has to be galvanizing for Tottenham fans. Whereas Arsenal struggled against Man City, Tottenham beat them 2-0 in Matchday 2. They flat-out dominated City, with Thomas Frank going a totally opposite approach to Arteta and taking the fight to Pep Guardiola instead of setting up his team like a scared child.
As it stands, Tottenham are neck and neck with Arsenal in the table as the main Premier League title contenders behind defending champions Liverpool, who have been the only team to win all five of their games.
Arsenal aren't far ahead of Tottenham
There was nothing impressive about Arsenal against Manchester City. And that performance gives Tottenham fans confidence that they have already arrived in Thomas Frank's first season as legitimate Premier League title contenders just one year after finishing 17th in the league under Ange Postecoglou.
For Spurs, it all has to start with self belief and the idea of "Why not us?" in the Jim Harbaugh vein (for those of you who are NFL fans). Why can't Tottenham compete for the Premier League title? What does Arsenal have that they don't?
Think about it. Tottenham have an elite defense and one of the top Premier League goalkeepers. They now have a solid, stable midfield. Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons give them difference-makers who can make plays, and Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani, and Richarlison all have the quality to be just as good in the Premier League as Viktor Gyokeres.
And comparing how Tottenham played Manchester City to what Arsenal did and how negative they were, you really have to say that Spurs have a coaching advantage with Thomas Frank. Spurs fans who watched Arsenal have to feel confident that their own weaknesses aren't that much worse than the other big clubs in England, and with a few tweaks, they could be closer to Premier League title glory than outsiders think.