Andre Villas-Boas has warned Arsenal the strength of their title challenge will be determined by their results against their direct rivals.
The Gunners are top of the Premier League but Tottenham are one of the few top sides Arsenal have faced — and Arsene Wenger’s team won the north London derby at Emirates Stadium last month.
Arsenal play Manchester United and Liverpool next month, and then Manchester City and Chelsea in December, and Villas-Boas, whose Spurs side are three points below the Gunners, says these games will reveal Arsenal’s true credentials.
He said: “We will see the big fixtures coming now for Arsenal. They have only played us so far and they have both Chelsea and Manchester City to come, and Liverpool.
“I suppose the fixture list at the moment is in favour of Manchester United as they have played all the big teams so far, apart from us, so that will give them a chance to bounce back, for sure.”
Only four points separate Arsenal from seventh-placed Everton, with champions Manchester United eight points adrift in eighth.
Villas-Boas added: “The league looks extremely open. The team in 14th place has 10 points — only nine fewer than the leaders.”
