The Premier League Title Is In Our Hands.
The Premier League Title Is In our Hands.
Well, well, well. Hasn’t the old shit been hitting the old fan in Arsenal Land lately. Brother turned against brother, sister against sister, father against son, nephew against great grand uncle, first cousin twice removed against second cousin three times removed.
Look, I’m not pointing fingers. This isn’t the time to play the blame game. I’m not saying the shit actually hit the fan (it did) but the fan did go down like a ton of bricks under very little contact, making the most of it, and buying the penalty, the way foreign fans do. Fans made in France or Spain or Uruguay or somewhere foreign-y.
So everyone…STOP. STOP RIGHT NOW. STOP WHERE YOU ARE. Postpone the revolution. Lower the blade and roll the guillotine back under its canvas, wrap up your knitting and fold away your deck chairs.
This isn’t over yet. The league isn’t done. We’re still in this.
I said in a Pod after the NLD that the PL title was in our hands. It raised many eyebrows. Well…two eyebrows that I know of. One per face of the people who questioned it. Elliot on the pod and Calvin on twitter. The rest of you didn’t hear it or care. To be fair, I couldn’t see them – Elliot and Calvin. Also to be fair, the 2 raised eyebrows may have been counterbalanced by 2 lowered eyebrows on the other sides of their faces, like an Elneny and Coquelin eyebrow, keeping the equilibrium at all times.
How is the title in our hands when Leicester are 8 points ahead? Madness, you say? Delusion, you protest? The after effects of a week-long stay at an opium house in Peking after the Boxer Rebellion, you guffaw? Possibly.
Here is the short version.
Answer the following questions:
- Can Spurs catch Leicester who are 3 points ahead? (Obviously they could.)
- Will we catch Spurs? (Yes. We always do.)
- Can we play with Coquelin/Elneny in midfield, Ramsey on the right, Welbeck up front for the rest of the PL till Santi gets fit, with Giroud, Walcott & Co as supersubs?
- Can we beat Hull and then Watford in the FA Cup to get a winning vibe going?
- Can we score first at the Nou Camp in a glorious, heroic but ultimately futile battle against the arrogant Barcelona?
- Can a resurgent Arsenal, with a rediscovered swagger, and the fresh legs of Sanchez, and Welbeck and a revitalized Mulleresque Ramsey, with the even fresher legs of Coquelin + Elneny securing the midfield, with Giroud and Walcott waiting in the wings and raring to go, desperate to prove their worth before the Euros with every minute they get…can they go on to beat West Brom at home, Everton away, Watford at home and West Ham away to rack up 12 points in 4 games? Well, can they?
- Might Leicester City draw a couple more matches like they did against WBA as lower teams make sure they come away with a points from the league leaders?
- Do you believe in Squeeky Bum Time?
- Could Chelsea, playing at home on the final day, make a statement that they are well and truly back by beating Leicester, while securing Europa League football? “If we can’t be King, we will be the King-maker.” You Shall Not Pass.
Is this all quite possible? Hell, yeah. Is it likely? Meh.
The Arsenal of the last 4 months wouldn’t have a hope in hell of pulling that off. But Espresso Arsenal, the Arsenal we saw after we went a goal up in the NLD, and then again when we fought back from a goal down with 10 men…THAT Arsenal could pull it off.
It’s Welbeckeneny time.
There are no guarantees. The odds are small but…that is our strength. Clarity from adversity. We go out in every game knowing only a win is enough. Every game is a Cup Final for Arsenal. For other teams, not so much. We win 4 or 5 on the trot, and you believe. Even YOU will believe. And Leicester will shit their pants. So that’s the mission. Make Leicester shit their pants. Do that and it’s on.
It’s not like I’ve anything else great to do between now and the end of the season anyway. Neither do you. The team and manager certainly don’t. So, fuck it…
We go again! Err, maybe not. We play again! No, that’s not very stirring. “Fuck them. Fuck the begrudgers. Fuck them all!” Hmm, that could work.
Agreed. (then I go hiding still shouting) AGREED! we are THE ARSENAL!!!
I am an optimist.
COYRRG!
Hi Poz great article as usual, I like your positivity but I am not quite sure we have banished the Arsenal of the last four months yet. The previous seasons where we have gone for stretches playing well and winning give me a semblance of hope but we shall see. It is squeaky bum time indeed.
Bee, I agree on the “not sure” part. This is but my hope. You could see in the NLD how we “could” become a title chasing team. Whether that will be just 1 moment, or the start of a run, I’m crossing my fingers. But there is a way we could win this.
Here is to hoping!! Let’s hope the 4-0 mauling of Hull will prove the springboard for a finish with a flourish.Let’s also hope that we start scoring more goals and the drought for all the strikers has come to an end.
I like your optimism man. I think I’m gonna hang around here more often. Ramsey’s injury’s a bummer tho. But maybe … that’d mean Campbell gets to play more. And look, I’ve been thinking about it … Campbell ain’t too shabby. You could argue that over the season so far, he’s performed better than Ramsey. So put him on the left, you got Elneny and Coq in the middle to make it compact. Welbeck and Alexis look like they’re about to explode with goals. Walcott and Giroud will start to get jealous and will want to do it too (like against Hull). I can see it … Leceister and Spurs are gonna shit in their pants, just like you say. City will just keep doing what they’ve been doing.
The title is ours. It’s in our hands. No doubt.