Sure, a two-point cushion is nice, but have you tried a five-point cushion?
That’s the question for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to mull this weekend as they host Leeds at the Emirates on Sunday, a day after Tottenham travel to Anfield.
Nothing can ever be taken for granted in the Premier League, as well we know, but there is a real possibility that we could head into Sunday with a chance to open up a five-point gap over our north London rivals.
In footballing terms, two points is almost nothing but five points is potentially decisive.
Motivation and confidence should already be high heading into this weekend but, if Tottenham fail to win on Saturday, it should serve to sharpen our focus ahead of a defining week of the season.
Aside from our longer-term absences, we can be hopeful of a full squad of players from which to chose for Sunday’s clash which can only strengthen our case. That said, we have suffered a few disappointing results at home this campaign so nothing can we taken as read (see Brighton, Burnley and Crystal Palace)
For their part, Leeds have found themselves sucked into the relegation scrap over the last month and are in need of at least a few more wins to be certain of their league status for next year. That makes them dangerous.
Oft mecurial, this Leeds side is capable of scoring lots of goals and, with plenty at stake our end, we are capable of being overly-cautious. That’s not a good mix and something we’ll need to guard against on Sunday.
This is not a game we can afford to lose – especially with a visit to Tottenham due next Thursday. If we view that game as one in which we stand a good chance of dropping points, we have to look at Leeds as one from which we can take maximum points.
Necessity has seen Arteta cast a little of his usual caution aside over the last month and I think, given our recent success, he should stick with that approach for now. That’s not to say we should be drawn into an end-to-end shoot-out, rather that we can afford to be bold.
Confidence is low at Leeds right now and their focus is on the teams over the shoulder. Striking an early blow will be important because the longer the visitors stay in the game, the more we have to lose.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that goal difference *could* come into play by the end of this campaign. It shouldn’t be our sole focus because, at the end of the day, you only ever need to win by one, but the large gaps between us and Tottenham could come into play if things get tight and it wouldn’t hurt to narrow that a little.
Winning the game must come first, though, and if that means a 95th-minute winner in a 1-0, I’ll take it.
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