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Arsenal fans have, at least in recent history, been a polarising bunch.
So much division, so much in-fighting, so much disharmony. There had been a large and ever growing disconnect between the fans and the club as a whole.
The reasons have been many, including; the owners, the board, the manager, the direction but above all the tail off both in footballing style as well as top level success.
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Quite a lot to be disappointed about of course, however the regular arrival of the FA Cup and touching distance of the top four have kept the truly volatile atmosphere slightly suppressed and the mass outrage has been kept at bay.
More recently, Mikel Arteta has spoken of the unity between the players and the fans as well as the gratefulness from him to the fans for sticking with him and “the process”. Let’s have a look at why.
Up until Christmas time of the 2020/21 Premier League season, Arsenal were playing some inconsistent football. Sometimes outstanding others reminiscent of the final days of Unai Emery.
It begged the question, has Arteta been lucky when it’s been good? And more to the point – Are Arsenal just a mid table team now? Both in the style and the expectation.
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There seemed to be a growing level of apathy around the club and the plan/style/ethos of playing style.
This all changed with something that I would describe as “the loss the club needed”. The performance and game I’m referring to here is the home 2-1 loss vs Manchester City. Prior to this game there were so many fans willing to die on hills of “Arteta in” vs “Arteta out”, even if that came at the expense of what was produced on the pitch.
But this game provided the blueprint for the remainder of the season. Arsenal played some quite wonderful free-flowing football. Not only this, but they limited City to pot-shots from distance throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes.
In fact, they had only 2 shots on target in the entire match; the penalty they scored and the 93rd minute winner.
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It felt like a crushing way to lose the game for Arsenal, but considering it was the champions that they were playing, the performance was what the fans could cling on to. And that was with 10 men on the pitch as well for 35 minutes.
It galvanised the fans. The young squad had come of age so to speak having gone toe-to-toe with the best and almost come out smiling. The fans look to have appreciated this and it was something on which the foundation of what was to come, could be built.
Yes the season may have ended on a sour note, but the consensus among most fans has remained; trust the process. Liverpool are a club that has what I feel Arsenal are trying to build.
There are the fans, players, manager and board all pointing in the same direction. They are all singing from the same hymn sheet and it shows, almost to an unbearable degree for any neutral, however it is also aspirational to that same group of people.
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Arsenal look to be on the very beginning of this journey. The board seems to be backing the manager with funding and consistent communication (as well as their other sports franchises performing at the top level with great success). The manager seems to be resonating with the players and visa versa (especially with the mass clear out that is underway). And finally the fans seem to be fully on board with this.
It very much feels similar to when the Liverpool squad and Jurgen Klopp went out and “celebrated” a 2-2 home draw vs West Brom with their fans. It felt awkward. It looked awkward. Probably both internally as well as externally. However it was the start of something truly special.
They’ve won every trophy available since, over the 7 following seasons. They had their 8th placed season and built onwards from there.
Arsenal have had a couple of those 8th placed finishes, followed by a marked improvement and there will no doubt be an immense amount of pressure mounted upon Arteta this term. Though one thing he won’t have to fight from the get-go is the oneness of direction that all elements seem to be pointing in.
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There will always be noise among some fans and fan tv channels have gone a long way in contributing to this, however there seems to be a natural saturation point in this space at the moment. The true bond that exists between the fans and the club as a whole looks to have superseded it thus far.
The dynamic between the club and the fans appearing to be strong and unshakeable, largely fueled by the vibes and heart given to the shirt from the Hale End Academy, is likely to be the 12th man needed for Arsenal to push onto their top 4 aspirations this coming season.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoTopics: Arsenal, Mikel Arteta