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Spurs have rapidly made up ground on their rivals in recent years, Goal.com wonders whether they are they now on the verge of replacing Arsenal as the best team in London....

This Sunday, the North London derby returns, as Arsenal and Tottenham lineup against each other, in what must surely be one of the most entertaining derby in the English game, as both the managers are committed to playing the short pass and move style of attacking football.

However unlike in the past, it is Tottenham who go into the game with an upper hand, especially in light of Arsenal’s recent poor run. It also makes one wonder, have Spurs replaced the Gunners as the most attractive team to watch in England and are now on their way to be the Kings of London?

What cannot be denied, even by the most hardcore Arsenal fan is that Spurs are definitely an exciting team to watch.

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With Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon providing width and speed on the wings, ably supported by Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, alongwith the creative influence of Luka Modric in the middle and Rafael van Der Vaart in the hole, and now with Emmanuel Adebayor, a former Gunner, in attack, they are definitely a team which are difficult to hold out against for the opposition, as Newcastle, who were completely ripped apart at White Hart Lane, would testify.

Unlike Arsene Wenger’s team, who play plenty of possession, one touch football, what has made Spurs do better this season is their ruthlessness in front of goal as well as their tendency to not lose focus in defence. The signing of Scott Parker and the return of Ledley King has really helped the team in that aspect.

Also Harry Redknapp’s team looks by far the hungrier of the two teams when it comes to trying to win the ball back. The White Hart Lane based outfit press from the very top, making it difficult for the opposition to build-up any meaningful attack in their half, which allows them to get away with a point even if they don’t click in attack, as shown against Liverpool at Anfield a few weeks back.

This brings us to Arsenal, who haven’t exactly enjoyed a vintage couple of weeks, having been soundly thrashed by AC Milan at the San Siro and then getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Sunderland. The club seems likely to go trophyless again this season, and discontent amongst fans is at an all-time high.

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Arsene Wenger didn’t help himself by leaving it so late in the summer to bring in replacements and then deciding to buy no one in the winter window, except of course the short-term arrival of Thierry Henry, when the squad was in desperate need of some quality.

It raises questions over his transfer policy since the squad definitely lacks the artistic presence of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, with just Mikel Arteta bought in as a replacement. Also with Andrei Arshavin packing his bags off to Russia, Theo Walcott being as inconsistent as ever,  why Wenger decided not to buy in the winter transfer window defies logic.

The squad itself hasn’t shown much fight. The Champions League tie against Milan was one of the most shambolic performances put up by the Gunners under the reign of the Frenchman.

All over the place in defence, ponderous in possession and giving the San Siro based side the freedom of the midfield to pick a pass, they looked like a team which was just going through the motions in Italy.

Infact that has been the story of their season, since if you compare with Spurs, Arsenal have scored just a goal less, but conceded a whopping ten more, which is identical to the number of points they lag behind their rivals in the league.

This sets us up nicely for the North London derby this Sunday. As mentioned above, with Arsenal 10 points adrift of their rivals, a loss here is set to consign them to finishing below Harry Redknapp’s side for the first time under Arsene Wenger.

So when the two sides meet at the Emirates stadium, not only will the tag of the most exciting team in the league be up for grabs, but what shall also be decided is, are Tottenham Hotspurs the new kings of London?

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