THERE HAVE BEEN times over the last decade when it has felt like Arsenal Football Club existed purely as a vehicle for rage and mockery online.
The scenes which began to play out around the streets of north London, after Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth confirmed the Gunners as Premier League champions, were poignant as well as important.
As thousands upon thousands of Arsenal supporters descended on the fringes of the Emirates Stadium, scaling lampposts and covering any concrete vantage point, it served as a very real and tangible reminder of this club’s place in the hearts of those who cherish it.
For so long a source of easy ridicule, slowly Arsenal have made sure to be taken seriously again.
Yes, of course, phones were held aloft to record the moment by so many of those who arrived to celebrate, and clips quickly littered social media.
And yes, of course, Ian Wright was at the epicentre of what looked to be a collective release of tortuous emotion.
Twenty two years after they were last crowned champions of England – a season in which they did not lose a Premier League game – Arsenal have returned to the summit.
Ian Wright (centre) joins the party. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
From those clips posted online, primal roars of guttural joy were heard around north London once the final whistle blew in Bournemouth. Nobody was bothered tuning in to Arsenal Fan TV or sourcing vidoes of whatever YouTube watchalong was doing the rounds.
For Arsenal fans this was a time to be together, in their moment of a lifetime and embracing the surge that comes with such a cocktail of happiness and relief.
Arsenal supporters rejoiced in unison and allowed tears soak into their replica jerseys. Fireworks were let off around statues of icons like Arsene Wenger, Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Through the red smoke of pyro that pierced the air, a banner hung from railings: Party On The Streets Of London.
After City beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium only a few weeks ago, their fans unfurled one which read: Panic On The Streets Of London.
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The night belonged to Arsenal, as strangers hugged and friends kissed. Usually it’s an Arsenal set piece when that many people get so physical. You only need to look back at the corner kick from which Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game against Burnley in a nervy 1-0 win on Monday night.
That helped set this week in motion, and the Arsenal players were most certainly revelling in their success.
“They called us bottlers, they called us bottlers,” Myles Lewis-Skelly said in a video posted by Bukayo Saka to social media.
“Now we’re holding the bottles,” Lewis-Skelly added, clutching champagne and cheered on by his teammate.
“Now we’re holding the bottles. Yeahhhhhhhhh,” Saka added.
And he wasn’t done there, the winger later getting Jurrien Timber to turn the camera on him as they stood in front of a silhouette of a darkened Premier League trophy in the reception of the training ground where the squad watched Tuesday night’s game together.
“Let me tell you something, 22 years, they were laughing and joking, they’re not laughing anymore, look, it’s going to be shining,” Saka said.
Arsenal fans celebrate. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
He was beaming, the academy graduate who has been at the very core of the culture change which Mikel Arteta realised was a necessity to help change’s Arsenal’s fortunes.
Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester City had previously missed out on the Arsenal job when Unai Emery was chosen to replace Arsene Wenger in May 2018.
Arteta was later offered the chance to become Newcastle United boss, but after weighing up the environment and what was the best fit for his first number one role he opted to steer clear of St James’ Park.
The Arsenal job became available again within a year and winning the FA Cup at the end of that first few months in charge provided breathing space. Arteta’s critics will say he was only able to deliver this glory by suffocating any sense of creativity.
Arteta is the man who has made Arsenal a serious football club again. There were still taunts from fans after three successive runner-up finishes before this season.
Bottlers.
Chokers.
Second again, ole ole.
Arsenal fans unfurl a banner for their Man City rivals. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
But through Arteta’s grip, both within the club he has effectively assumed control of and on a league has come to master, Arsenal are no longer a punchline or an institution reduced to ridicule.
His strength of character is clear, too, most clearly by not being worn down by the relentless nature of how Guardiola and City operate.
His persistence is not just admirable, it’s inspiring. Players would not have stayed the course alongside him were he not capable of making them believe they could take that final step. It’s a leap which proves either too daunting or something most are simply not capable of.
The Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on 30 May offers an even greatest examination.
Arteta has been backed with the millions required to challenge a club that is an arm of a Gulf State (one which is still fighting 115 charges of financial breaches brought by the Premier League) but its spirit that is most valuable of all.
At 44, he is also the youngest manager since Jose Mourinho (2005 and 2006) to win the Premier League, and it also looks like Guardiola, his former mentor, will depart City before the end of the month.
Arsenal’s style of football will not inspire disciples in the same way as Guardiola, but every manager will look to summon the same spirit as Arteta.
He has rejuvenated the club and reawakened a giant of the English game.
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Arsenal's Premier League title celebrations show a reawakening of a giant of the English game
THERE HAVE BEEN times over the last decade when it has felt like Arsenal Football Club existed purely as a vehicle for rage and mockery online.
The scenes which began to play out around the streets of north London, after Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth confirmed the Gunners as Premier League champions, were poignant as well as important.
As thousands upon thousands of Arsenal supporters descended on the fringes of the Emirates Stadium, scaling lampposts and covering any concrete vantage point, it served as a very real and tangible reminder of this club’s place in the hearts of those who cherish it.
For so long a source of easy ridicule, slowly Arsenal have made sure to be taken seriously again.
Yes, of course, phones were held aloft to record the moment by so many of those who arrived to celebrate, and clips quickly littered social media.
And yes, of course, Ian Wright was at the epicentre of what looked to be a collective release of tortuous emotion.
Twenty two years after they were last crowned champions of England – a season in which they did not lose a Premier League game – Arsenal have returned to the summit.
From those clips posted online, primal roars of guttural joy were heard around north London once the final whistle blew in Bournemouth. Nobody was bothered tuning in to Arsenal Fan TV or sourcing vidoes of whatever YouTube watchalong was doing the rounds.
For Arsenal fans this was a time to be together, in their moment of a lifetime and embracing the surge that comes with such a cocktail of happiness and relief.
Arsenal supporters rejoiced in unison and allowed tears soak into their replica jerseys. Fireworks were let off around statues of icons like Arsene Wenger, Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Through the red smoke of pyro that pierced the air, a banner hung from railings: Party On The Streets Of London.
After City beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium only a few weeks ago, their fans unfurled one which read: Panic On The Streets Of London.
The night belonged to Arsenal, as strangers hugged and friends kissed. Usually it’s an Arsenal set piece when that many people get so physical. You only need to look back at the corner kick from which Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game against Burnley in a nervy 1-0 win on Monday night.
That helped set this week in motion, and the Arsenal players were most certainly revelling in their success.
“They called us bottlers, they called us bottlers,” Myles Lewis-Skelly said in a video posted by Bukayo Saka to social media.
“Now we’re holding the bottles,” Lewis-Skelly added, clutching champagne and cheered on by his teammate.
“Now we’re holding the bottles. Yeahhhhhhhhh,” Saka added.
And he wasn’t done there, the winger later getting Jurrien Timber to turn the camera on him as they stood in front of a silhouette of a darkened Premier League trophy in the reception of the training ground where the squad watched Tuesday night’s game together.
“Let me tell you something, 22 years, they were laughing and joking, they’re not laughing anymore, look, it’s going to be shining,” Saka said.
He was beaming, the academy graduate who has been at the very core of the culture change which Mikel Arteta realised was a necessity to help change’s Arsenal’s fortunes.
Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester City had previously missed out on the Arsenal job when Unai Emery was chosen to replace Arsene Wenger in May 2018.
Arteta was later offered the chance to become Newcastle United boss, but after weighing up the environment and what was the best fit for his first number one role he opted to steer clear of St James’ Park.
The Arsenal job became available again within a year and winning the FA Cup at the end of that first few months in charge provided breathing space. Arteta’s critics will say he was only able to deliver this glory by suffocating any sense of creativity.
Arteta is the man who has made Arsenal a serious football club again. There were still taunts from fans after three successive runner-up finishes before this season.
Bottlers.
Chokers.
Second again, ole ole.
But through Arteta’s grip, both within the club he has effectively assumed control of and on a league has come to master, Arsenal are no longer a punchline or an institution reduced to ridicule.
His strength of character is clear, too, most clearly by not being worn down by the relentless nature of how Guardiola and City operate.
His persistence is not just admirable, it’s inspiring. Players would not have stayed the course alongside him were he not capable of making them believe they could take that final step. It’s a leap which proves either too daunting or something most are simply not capable of.
The Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on 30 May offers an even greatest examination.
Arteta has been backed with the millions required to challenge a club that is an arm of a Gulf State (one which is still fighting 115 charges of financial breaches brought by the Premier League) but its spirit that is most valuable of all.
At 44, he is also the youngest manager since Jose Mourinho (2005 and 2006) to win the Premier League, and it also looks like Guardiola, his former mentor, will depart City before the end of the month.
Arsenal’s style of football will not inspire disciples in the same way as Guardiola, but every manager will look to summon the same spirit as Arteta.
He has rejuvenated the club and reawakened a giant of the English game.
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Arsenal back on top Mikel Arteta Premier League