So it all comes down to today.
The equation is simple. Win and we are taking the title race down to the last day. Lose and Manchester City can win the league at Tottenham mid-week.
I had said throughout the season how proud I am of the boys. And whether we win the title or not will not make me any more or less proud. We have done brilliant.
I always tell people do not define your football supporting life by the trophies you win. Do that and you will be more disappointed than delrious.
Those that will base how they rate our season on how the next 2 games go miss the bigger picture of what football is about. Only one team can we each trophy and, Manchester City aside, no other club should see finishing a season trophyless as a failure.
It can not be underestimated how Manchester City, and their spending, has changed our game.
City have raised the bar. To (potentially) win 16 of our last 18 games and still finish 2nd is incredible. Part of me has respect for Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City winning team, the other part of me sees them for what they are – a state funded team bankrolled to success based on outspending every other team.
And we are not talking about net spend, we are talking about total spend which has been huge under the Shiekhs, their gigantic wage bill to attract the best players, coaches, doctors, etc, all whilst financed by questionable sponsorship deals. Although I will always have the stance that if a billionaire wants to blow his load on football, he should be entitled to do so.
Nothing highlights City’s wealth more than Matheus Nunes.
City spent £53million on the Wolves midfielder to basically start 7 Premier League games. Nunes replaced the £42m Kalvin Phillips who also saw very little game time. Imagine a world where a team spends so much on a player (and the wages to go with it), to then play just 656 minutes of football.
Yes, those with half a brain will be saying “but Arsenal spent double that on Declan Rice”. Rice starts for us and is well worth the money. Nunes is not even a squad player for City. He is a 1st team fringe player, and in 2-years he will probably be loaned out to West Ham and they will buy another £50m midfielder to not play.
If you want the definitive proof of the difference between City and the rest, just look at how much they have spent on central defenders.
They collect £40m centre backs for one. And basically every season they sell one of them who has ended 5th choice, and spend another £40m+ on a replacement. Rinse and report stockpiling some of the best central defenders in the world whilst we have to make do with Jakub Kiwor as cover (no disrespect to Kiwor).
Finishing 2nd to City is not failure. It is not Arsenal bottling it. And if you are one of those that will claim Arsenal have bottled it, give your head a wobble and stop feeding into the TalkSport/PaddyPower narrative.
If Arsenal bottled the Premier League this season due to not winning, then so did every other team in the Premier League. It is not logical that we end up in a world where anytime someone finishes 2nd, fans of teams in 5th or 8th laugh saying “bottled it”.
These fans are like the single virgin living in their mum’s basement mocking someone online they do not know because they have split up with their misses. Take a look at your own lives and issues before pointing the finger at others.
Today we need to put everything around us out of our heads and get the win.
Man U are in horrendous form. As poor as Tottenham. But we know how they like to raise their game against us and many fans my age will be scarred from those defeats against very poor Alex Ferguson teams.
Mentally, we need to be looking at them not as Man U, the big red machine, but as a team who have won just 2 of their last 9.
Mikel Arteta will know this, and he will have his players focused.
Do our job on the field and take it to the last day of the season. I still do not expect a “favour” from Tottenham or West Ham, but stranger things have happened!
UTA.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
No favours from the London clubs.Never have.Never will.Started already with the ‘ kite flyers’ getting stuffed 0-4.Unfortunately I’m expecting something similar from our small minded neighbours down the road.zwho judging by recent photo,already have them doing their end of season lap of appreciation for their fans.Hello? Man citeh at home on Tuesday? Tells you all you need to know.Last up the Spammers.If it’s less than 4-0 I’ll be astonished.
London clubs.Dont make me laugh.
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Good article this one, agree with pretty much all of it. I`m particularly drawn to your 3rd sentence about not defining your supporter experience solely around the trophies you win.
I remember an 18 month period under Pooch when it was killing me watching Spurs matches. They were a big, strong physical side who played front foot football and gave 100% every week. Thankfully for us, they couldn`t get over the line but deep down I knew their fans must have left the ground every week and been proud of the team.
The same goes for Liverpool fans, even though City have dominated over the last 6 or 7 years, I think the Scousers – on a weekly basis – will have been prouder of their teams efforts than any other set of supporters.
And now its our turn, any Arsenal fan who isn`t proud of this current group of players cannot possibly be a proper supporter. We`re not only a seriously well coached side – the most well coached Arsenal side in my lifetime and I`ve been watching them since 1957 – but they never give less than 100%, they go right to the last minute and they leave everything out on the pitch. There`s been better Arsenal teams (Wenger era) but for me, this is the most likeable Arsenal team since George Graham`s team from 86 – 91.
I just hope they get their rewards this season because they deserve it. Today should have been the day we became Champions again. We should have back to back titles but unfortunately we`re up against Lance Armstrong FC.
Up The Arse.
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