Only two outcomes await Arsenal from their position atop the Premier League table: agony or ecstasy. The club’s supporters lurch helplessly between the two extremes, contemplating the glory of a first title since 2003-04’s “Invincibles” and the ignominy of losing the eight-point lead they will hold on April 1.
This roller coaster of emotions renders all remaining games a health hazard, each setback delivering a sense of foreboding that a fine season could suddenly collapse, while every positive moment is fresh affirmation that this really is going to be their year.
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Gunners fans never expected to find themselves in this position, and whatever happens over the next two months, some solace will come from the progress the club have already made. Yet the sense of opportunity before them is clear. Arsenal have played the best football in England this term and produced the greatest level of consistency for 75% of the campaign.
But City have proved themselves capable of going on a winning streak when it matters most. In the final 10 games of the past three seasons, City took 2.4 points per game (ppg) in 2019-20, 2.1ppg in 2020-21 and 2.4ppg in 2021-22. In the same period, Arsenal managed 1.6ppg, 2.0ppg and 1.5ppg.
So, as they attempt to deny Manchester City their fifth title in six seasons, what are the remaining obstacles in Arsenal’s way, and do the fans really think they can get over the line? ESPN spoke to four prominent Arsenal supporters — Tim Payton, Arsenal Supporters Trust Board Member; Boyd Hilton, host of the “Footballistically Arsenal” podcast; Lois Langton, former Arsenal Independent Supporters Association chair; and Faisal Khan, founder of Arsenal-focused YouTube channel “Latte Firm” — to find out.
Q. What is the general mood among Arsenal fans?
Payton: “There is a saying in British politics about feeling like ‘a man carrying a priceless Ming vase across a highly polished floor.’ Anticipation, nervous, cautious. There are 10 cup ties left now. You can really feel the excitement but also the sense of tension as well because it has become something to throw away.”
Hilton: “Mainly excitement for me and the pleasure we are taking in the football we are playing. It is extraordinary to think how quickly [manager Mikel] Arteta has turned us into this attacking machine. Every time I do a podcast or I talk to fans at the Emirates I tell them we’ve got to enjoy this while it is happening because it is so unexpected and so unbelievable. We are aware we are going to be telling our grandchildren about this, even if we don’t win the league with how far we’ve come with 10 games to go.
“In the late-Arsene Wenger era when we had some pretty good players — [Mesut] Ozil, Alexis Sanchez — every now and again we did play some decent football, but it did get kind of stodgy and predictable. And there was no connection to those players like there is now. There is something really special about the personality of the team that translates to us in the crowd. But there’s an underlying sense of fear, uncertainty and anxiety. Maybe that’s just me.”
Langton: “It’s not just the football that we’ve been privileged to watch that has led to Gooners everywhere wearing an ear-to-ear grin on most Monday mornings. What has made this season special is the togetherness that is permeating the club. Never has the ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit‘ [Victory Through Harmony] motto felt more fitting.”
Khan: “Arsenal fans are tremendously excited about the prospect of a first league title in almost 20 years, yet absolutely terrified of heartbreak. We find ourselves unexpectedly in a title race and the nerves are well and truly kicking in.”
Hilton: “When we’ve had setbacks this season, we’ve bounced back pretty much every time. We lost to City and then won the next six games — that’s the obvious example. The players have got the mentality, but they have to keep up the level of intensity for 10 games and that is quite a challenge. All it would take is one loss and one draw for Man City to come back. Most Arsenal fans assume City won’t lose more than once, if at all, in this final stage.”
Payton: “We are so clear of the Wenger era now and there is probably something in the view that ‘what have they got to be scared of?’ They will feel there’s lots of time. The pressure comes on in many ways when you think ‘if we don’t do it now, we’ll never do it again.’ There is an innocence in it which is immune to the pressure. Whether that holds is the big question.”
Q. The two teams still have to play each other on April 26 triggering a four-game run for Arsenal which comprises City away, Chelsea at home, a trip to Newcastle, then Brighton at home. Is that the decisive period?
Hilton: “If we get through that undefeated, that is the period that decides it. The City game on its own is beyond huge. If they beat us — which I kind of expect given they beat us at home when we were playing really well — and if they win their game in hand, that’s two points … You weigh it all up and we could come out of that week level with them. The eight-point gap we have now will be narrowed to make the final few games even more stressful than they need to have been.”
Langton: “As Arteta would say, the most vital match is the next match — which is Leeds [on Saturday]. If we start speculating ahead to matches at the end of April and early May, that is what, if anything, will cause us to trip up.”
