Do you know what an Arsenal fan does when their team wins a trophy? He turns off the PlayStation. This is one of the jokes that has been circulating in the UK for years about the Gunners, whose trophy cabinet collects more dust than a Swiffer duster in grandma’s attic. However, they have never been so close to ending a drought of more than twenty years in the Premier League but, like every year now, Mikel Arteta’s men, who were up to ten points ahead in the standings, have their calves trembling as they conclude.
Certain sequences of their match against Bournemouth last weekend even had the air of Fourth District Division in the depths of Brittany, at a time when the players are still drinking liters of beer from the bistro the day before. So, when it comes time to face Manchester City this Sunday (5:30 p.m.) for what looks very much like the see-saw match in the title race for both teams, will the Gunners once again collapse under pressure, at the risk of once again appearing as the biggest clowns in the country?
“We no longer put one foot in front of the other”
Tradition would say yes, especially since Arsenal have already taken a first lesson in the Carabo Cup final against the same City (2-0) two weeks ago, as a foretaste of what could fall on the corner of his snout on the Etihad side. This is the observation made by Corentin, this French Arsenal fan who manages the account Arsenal French Club on Instagram.
« Since the start of the year it’s been difficult to enjoy watching matches, it even turned into a disaster after the defeat against City, he breathes. We took a tactical lesson, I didn’t expect us to get shaken up like that. Since this final, we no longer put one foot in front of the other and we have the impression that the players are sinking mentally and physically. »
Present that day at Wembley to support his soldiers, Ridler, a football content creator with 50,000 subscribers on social networks and Arsenal fan, is not about to forget this rout. And even less so after the match, when he put his camera down to debrief the debacle, microphone in hand, while the City fans marched behind him chanting “Second again!” Second again! », their new mocking song which celebrates the historical failure which sticks to the skin of the Canonniers.
Used to being fooled by the Citizens, Ridler takes it with humor and wears the smile of someone who knows the song. ” Frankly, what else could I do ? Crying on camera? The City supporters were in heaven, they were singing, dancing, they were probably preparing their future parade. I stood there, as if I had already seen this film hundreds of times, he rewinds. If you support Arsenal and you don’t have a sense of humor, you won’t last until Christmas. Sarcasm is our defense mechanism. Self-deprecation our way of life. »
Fortunately there is Tottenham, Tottenham!
You need it to be able to watch the latest Arsenal matches without rolling your eyes and opening your veins. The Gunners gave us another brilliant demonstration on Wednesday evening in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League against Sporting. Rather than attack at all costs and ignite the match to take the 60,000 people of the Emirates with them, Declan Rice and his gang preferred to play it safe, content to wait wisely for a corner to fall from the sky to consider scoring a goal on a misunderstanding.
Corentin, however, refuses to say that his favorite team has become the laughing stock of English football. He prefers to cede this title to his sworn enemy, Tottenham, 16th in the Premier League, who competes brilliantly on the ridiculous terrain with Arsenal. “But it’s certain that if we miss the title this year, we’ll still have the label of loser on our foreheads,” he admits all the same. But I don’t want to believe in another collapse, it would be too hard to cope with mentally. If so, I’m going to live on a desert island and cut off all my social networks! »
The great return of the “Boring Arsenal”
Renowned for their sexy, attacking football since Arteta’s arrival on the bench in 2019, the Londoners have taken a 180-degree turn in recent months, perhaps thinking it was the only solution to break the curse and finally win a trophy that matters. Or maybe it’s just an homage to the “Boring Arsenal” of the early 90s, who knows.
“Watching their games right now is like paying for a five-star meal and being served cold beans,” laughs Ridler. Against City, Arsenal seemed to have forgotten that the final was taking place that day. Against Bournemouth, it was as if the players were wearing clogs on their feet. A real torture. They need to stop playing like they are protecting a porcelain vase and start attacking like lions again. »
However, the players’ statements after the qualifier against Sporting on Wednesday do not seem to go in this direction. Asked about the criticism raining down on his team, Declan Rice was offensive in front of the microphones, if not on the field. “Who cares what people think?” he said, a little annoyed. What matters is what the group thinks, what the coach thinks, and it’s to be in the semi-finals. I’m happy this evening. »
Same player, play again
Results as the sole judges of the peace, this is the credo chosen by the Gunners on the eve of the end of the season. A speech that our dear national Didier Deschamps would not deny, who knows better than anyone that when victory speaks, the haters no longer move. Or less. This is also the opinion of former Gunner Bacary Sagna who spoke to our colleagues at The Team recently.
“In my time, we were criticized for playing too well, for not being realistic enough. And now it’s the opposite… The most important thing is to win and who cares if the goals are scored from set pieces. The truth is that if the Gunners end up being champions, then everyone will forget how they got there. » Not Paul Scholes in any case, the former Mancunian having assured last January that “if Arsenal win the title, it will be the worst champion in history. »
An honorary title that makes fun of Arsenal fans who definitely vote for drunkenness and regardless of the mouth of the bottle. “We need something to click and we stop pooping on each other, it’s the year or never for us in the Premier League,” warns Corentin.
And otherwise, like every year after the summer depression, hope will be reborn. “Arsenal fans are fueled by irrational hope,” concludes Ridler. Every August we convince ourselves that it’s the right year, every April we need therapy, and every May we say to ourselves “next season is the right one”. Happiness will come… one day… probably… please. »
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