I think you’ll agree when I say we are living in strange times, but to find Arsenal, an internationally recognised footballing giant, near the relegation zone of the Premier League is beyond strange. I have been a devout Arsenal supporter for as long as I can remember and to watch the current team saunter around the pitch so lifeless is an unbearable sight, even for me. Therefore, I think now is the perfect time to speak up as we should expect better, and I believe all of the fans will relate to my mood.
High to Low
A 2-1 victory over our London rivals Chelsea in the FA cup coupled with beating the Premier League champions, Liverpool, on penalties in the Community Shield led to us, the supporters, having high hopes for the 2020/2021 season. Also, impressively over the summer, we signed a world-class centre back in Gabriel and a highly sought after holding midfielder, Thomas Partey, to finally put an end to the problems that have been handicapping the team for the past few seasons. So, what has gone horribly wrong this year? A difficult question which can only be answered by our manager, Mikel Arteta. In whom I still surprisingly have a lot of faith. The players have let the team down, not the manager!
Fast forward a couple of months to where managers and pundits alike are now seriously considering Arsenal as relegation fodder in a fight to battle for Premier League safety. This just goes to show how far we have fallen this season!
Everyday Life
I used to be that person that would sit for hours on end discussing all things football with family and friends and shouting about how good Arsenal are – like every other Arsenal supporter I suppose. However, now whenever the topic of football arises, I shy away from the topic and intentionally try to change it. This breaks my heart because football is something I love to talk about. Put simply, whenever Arsenal win, I feel at ease and for the remainder of the week, I am calmer. This is not because of any monetary gain but for my love of the club.
Social media is a part of everyday life, as much as you may not want to accept it, and memes are a part of that too. Being active on social media, like me, means that you are constantly ridiculed with memes when Arsenal lose reminding you of just how poorly we are playing this season.
Predication
Although we have had our worst start to the season since 1974, I still think we can achieve a top 6 finish – call me an optimist if you will. However, I admit that may not be enough to finish above our North London neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur, who have seemingly found a winning mentality under José Mourinho. Plus, much to my disgust, the partnership between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min is paying dividends at the minute.
Future
I strongly believe this is just a hiccup year and we will bounce back next season. We have a lot of young talent coming through our academy, such as Gabriel Martinelli, which we can hopefully keep a hold of. We still have not seen the full protentional of Thomas Partey due to injury woes and once fully fit and settled I am confident he will be the backbone to our midfield for seasons to come. Also, the prospective partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel at centre back is definitely something we should all be looking forward to.
Going into the new year, I hope that Arteta remains in charge and we can string together some good performances to boost the confidence and morale of both the team and supporters.
Maybe one day we’ll be title contenders again!
