2) To not lose ground on league leaders
Spurs pulled themselves to within one point of league leaders Manchester City at the start of the season and up into second place after ending Pep Guardiola’s 100% record in the Premier League. However, a month on, Spurs find themselves in fifth position and three points off the pace, not taking advantage of a favourable run of fixtures in the rest of October.
Spurs now go into November in a bad run of form, and the fixture list is not favourable. The trip to Arsenal is proceeded by the international break. After that, West Ham visit White Hart Lane before the away game against Monaco, which is now a must-win game. Things do not get any easier for Spurs as a trip to Stamford Bridge follows the game in Monaco.
Spurs are three points off the pace as it is. If Arsenal were to grab all three points in the North London derby, they would pull six points clear of Spurs. This is not a position Mauricio Pochettino wants to be in at this early stage, considering the fixtures coming up.
