Arsenal vs Chelsea: What Result Should Tottenham Supporters Root For?

As the season comes to a close, Tottenham find themselves in a dogfight for the Champions League berth that seemed so certain a few short months ago.

With five matches left, Spurs sit in fourth in the league, ahead of sixth place Chelsea by two points, ahead of fifth placed Newcastle on goal difference, and trailing third placed Arsenal by five points (though with a match in hand).

Hence, a huge amount of significance lies in each of these final matches.

Based on form, Tottenham should be tipped to miss out on Champions League for the second straight season; based on schedule, though, they are in the best shape amongst the four clubs and have a great chance at the Top Four.

After all, Tottenham is left with mostly relegation threatened opponents (with one potentially tough match against Fulham) while their rivals have matches between themselves.

Now, it is clear what Spurs must do to take matters in their own hands: win.

However, with six points in their last eight matches, it is hard to trust Tottenham to do what is necessary.

Thus, it would be nice for a bit of extra help from Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle in way of lost points.

This raises the question of this article: when Arsenal and Chelsea do battle at the Emirates Saturday afternoon, for what outcome should Spurs supporters be rooting?

On the one hand, a Chelsea loss could be very valuable.

With a two point lead and a match in hand over Chelsea (for a few hours at least), this would mean that with anything near good form for Spurs would ensure that they finish ahead of the Blues.

Further, since Newcastle has both Chelsea and Man City left, it might prove to be the difference between Champions League and Europa League football next season.

On the other hand, an Arsenal loss could be very satisfying.

It would put Spurs in a position of trailing Arsenal by five points with two matches in hand, thus re-opening the race for third.

Hence, Tottenham would merely have to hold serve for the rest of the season to vault ahead of their rivals.

On the flip side of this, though, it would also put Chelsea ahead of Tottenham (perhaps only for a few hours) and put a great deal of pressure on Spurs' Champions League bid.

Further, given the recent forms of the two clubs, it would be unlikely for Tottenham to hold serve with Arsenal and beat them out anyway, making Arsenal's loss meaningless for Spurs.

But what if a draw were to occur?

Well, then it might be the best of both worlds: Chelsea would still be behind Tottenham having played a match more and Arsenal's dropped points would still open the window a crack.

In the end, though, the choice of what outcome to root for in the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match speaks more toward your outlook on the team and, somewhat, life in general.

If you feel like the team is in an irreversible down-slide that can only be fixed by the summer break, you should probably root for Arsenal so as to buy Spurs a little more breathing room in fourth.  I mean, to you, they're not catching Arsenal anyway, right?

If you feel like Spurs are primed to snap out of their funk and win their final five matches, you should probably root for Chelsea so that Tottenham can find their way past Arsenal into third, and with it grabbing the automatic bid for the Champions League.  I mean, what could be sweeter than finishing ahead of the Gunners?

Finally, if you're on the fence, not sure which Tottenham side you are going to see against QPR let alone for the rest of the season, then a draw might be for you.  I mean, it's the best of both worlds.

However, whichever result you support, do not fear if it doesn't go your way.

The beauty of this matchup is that no matter what the outcome, it's in some way good for Tottenham.

If only that were the case in their own matches.