Former Tottenham midfielder and Spurs fan Jamie O’Hara has admitted he’d be happy for Manchester City to beat Spurs on Thursday night if it helps deny Arsenal the league title.
Spurs have been beaten home and away by Arsenal this season, with the Gunners’ win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seeing them extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points. It was the first time Arsenal have completed a league double over their neighbours since the 2013-14 season.
Mikel Arteta’s league-leaders are next in action on Sunday evening against Manchester United, with second place City playing twice before then. And O’Hara, who began his senior career with Spurs and supports the club, suggested he is more worried about Arsenal winning the league than about Tottenham – who sit fifth – falling short of a top-four finish.
“It’s a difficult one because we need to win because we’ve got to carry on trying to get Champions League football. But if we do win, we’re basically handing Arsenal the Premier League title,” O’Hara said, speaking exclusively to Mirror Football courtesy of Grosvenor Sport. “I kind of want Man City to win.
“Spurs miss out on fourth or Arsenal win the league… I can’t answer that question,” he added. “I think I’d rather Spurs miss out on fourth than Arsenal win the league.
“The perfect scenario for me would be Man City beat us and then we go on a long run of unbeaten games and then we sign a couple of big players and Man City end up pipping Arsenal to the post. They get back on form after Tottenham hand them the game, and then Arsenal fold and Spurs get fourth spot on the last day of the season. That’s the perfect scenario, but I just don’t know how that’s going to work out.”
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Spurs beat Manchester City home and away last season, once under Antonio Conte and once under his predecessor, Nuno Espirito Santo. However, despite the London side adding to their squad since, O’Hara isn’t confident of victory.
“We pipped Arsenal to the post last season to get Champions League football, so we should have been the team that really kicked on, and it’s been the complete opposite, so that’s been hard,” the 36-year-old added. “But we’re Man City’s bogey team – it does seem like we’re a bit of a bogey team for Man City and when we play against them, we’re able to turn up and put in a big performance.”
If Spurs win at the Etihad Stadium – the scene of their last-gasp 3-2 win last season – it would take them within three points of fourth-place Newcastle having played a game more. Conte’s team will then face another away game on Monday, against a Fulham team with just two defeats from 10 games at Craven Cottage this term.
