Arsene Wenger's Arsenal have history and trophies on their side but Jon Brodkin believes Tottenham's revival under Martin Jol may be the least of their problems.

Arsenal fans must occasionally wonder whether the Premiership table is being printed upside down. The sight of Tottenham sitting above their team must take some getting used to. Over recent years only historic rivalry has prevented Spurs from being an irrelevance to their lives.

Since Arsene Wenger arrived at Highbury, Tottenham have won one of the clubs' 19 meetings, lifted a solitary League Cup to Arsenal's seven major trophies and never finished better than seven places adrift of their bitter rivals. Before today's derby at White Hart Lane, though, there are signs that Arsenal can no longer take that superiority for granted.

As Wenger's team have slipped, Tottenham have risen under Martin Jol. And while Jol sensibly suggests the balance of power has not shifted, that prospect seems more plausible than just over a year ago when Arsenal were champions and 40-odd league games unbeaten, and Spurs were beginning to slide under Jacques Santini and were riven by the problems which prompted him to resign.

Wenger expressed admiration for Jol yesterday but added a note of caution for anyone who sees seismic change in the standing of the two clubs. "I think he has done extremely well," he said. "He has rebuilt an ambition, a hope and a confidence in the club and that spreads out.

"You can praise what he has done without destroying Arsenal. I recognise that Tottenham have made a step forward but I still feel to ignore overnight what we have done over the last nine years is too much. We are coming back."

Wenger did not slam his three championship and four FA Cup winners' medals on the training-ground table. But the Frenchman, having noted that the season was not yet a quarter gone and that Arsenal trail Spurs by three points with a game in hand, acknowledged that winning trophies is what counts.

"Exactly," he said. "What I feel is that in England people quickly forget facts and are just carried on a media wave. We have to deal with that. The truth is what will happen tomorrow on the pitch. Everyone expects an interesting derby and I'm sure it will be because Tottenham are on a high and we are expected to be underdogs suddenly. We accept that.

"It's very exciting because people expect us not to do well. I know how strong the character in my team is and how strong the players are. We have a good opportunity to show how good we are."

The excitement for Spurs is the thought of starting a process which will see them dominate Arsenal once more. They last finished above their neighbours in 1995 but the Highbury club have not been in their shadow since the early 80s. Arsenal stagnated while Tottenham won two FA Cups and a Uefa Cup but they still won their share of derby matches.

"Under Keith Burkinshaw we definitely fought our corner and were top dogs for four or five years in the early 80s," said Steve Perryman, then Tottenham's captain. "We gave them a 5-0 drubbling to repay them for what we took in the 70s (a 5-0 defeat at White Hart Lane). Unfortunately I was suspended for that game, although I enjoyed it from the stands."

If Tottenham had the upper hand at that point, Arsenal's superiority under Wenger has been unparalleled in modern times. George Graham made Arsenal significantly more successful than their neighbours but The Scot's team still finished below Spurs in four of his nine full seasons in charge at Highbury.

Wenger has so far enjoyed at least a 20-point advantage over a variety of Tottenham managers. His success in bringing Sol Campbell to Highbury was a crushing reminder to Spurs of their relative standings.

Even if Tottenham continue to close the gap they must hope a gulf does not reappear once Arsenal reap the financial benefits of the 60,000-seat stadium they move into next season.

For now Spurs would settle for a first win over Arsenal in six years, and will take heart that Thierry Henry is missing. Two other players who have troubled them over recent seasons will also be absent because Patrick Vieira has gone and Ashley Cole is injured. At the moment no one can be sure that Cole and Henry will even be at Arsenal this time next year. Keeping them is part of the challenge facing Wenger, who will continue to be questioned in many circles about the wisdom of selling Vieira while his side stutter.

Jol has suggested Arsenal are "maybe the same as other teams" without their big-name players but Wenger has strongly disputed that. "I feel this team is as strong as it was last year, if not stronger, when everyone is here," he said, "and we will see that."

An ability to cope without key men is vital, though. Wenger can justifiably point to the young talent that earned Arsenal a 3-0 League Cup win at Sunderland during the week but more important domestic away results have been wretched. One point has come from games at Chelsea, Middlesbrough, West Bromwich and West Ham. He blames it on post-international problems.

"Arsenal are a great side and Vieira brought that bit of physical presence," Paul Davis said, identifying what his former club lack. "We haven't replaced that yet, and when Sol Campbell's not around it adds to the problem. Kolo Toure's quick and strong but he (is not) a physical player and you need that, especially with so many young players coming through at the same time."

Julio Baptista shunned Arsenal for Real Madrid during the summer, and Michael Essien, who had been on Wenger's radar, was never an option once Chelsea made a move to sign him. "With the finance there was no way he could compete," Davis says, "and it was the same with Shaun Wright-Phillips."

Arsenal's pursuit of trophies has been hampered by Chelsea's emergence and Wenger believes it will be "very difficult" for Tottenham to win their first trophy since 1999. Progress will suit Spurs for now, though, and Perryman is optimistic. He sees harmony, a strong squad and good leadership. "Looking at the manager and his comments after matches, he comes across as very believable," he says. "And if he's believable to me, hopefully he's believable to his players. I think that's coming across in performances."

Only time, Wenger noted, will reveal Spurs' true level. "I suppose many Tottenham supporters will use this game to evaluate their potential," he said. "Our supporters are maybe worried by that. It's why the game will be interesting." Guardian Service