I don’t know anyone that is enjoying 2020. To say this has been a horrible year would be an understatement. Of course the world is being ravaged by the Coronavirus, the US is being run by a psychopath lunatic and uncertainly is the only constant.
That’s why what Arsenal accomplished this past weekend gave me such a lift when they achieved something that no one thought that they could.
Before we get to the sweet victory, here’s a bit of background that sports fans will be able to relate to.
I am a diehard Arsenal fan. Despite the fact that the club is based in London I’ve seen them live on numerous occasions and rarely, if ever miss a match. If it’s not on cable, it’s on the computer (I won’t mention the illegal streams that I sometimes gain access too) or occasionally I’ll watch a match at a soccer friendly bar or with Arsenal NYC members.
I’ve been following Arsenal since 1999 and overall they have been extremely successful. However, the club’s one time superiority has faded and teams owned by Russian oil barons and Arab Sheikhs have taken center stage.
As an American sports fan, I think that I have a different perspective on the successes and failures of Arsenal. You see I am a New York Mets baseball fan. The Mets are perennial losers and are known for disappointing their fans on a regular basis.
In comparison, Arsenal have never let me down to the extent that the Mets have. However, in English football, not winning trophy’s and not finishing in a lucrative top four position is seen as failure. (the top four teams in the league qualify for the top European club competition, the Champions League, which brings in huge earnings to the clubs that participate).
For the first 17 seasons that I followed the club, Arsenal finished in the top four every year. This included two championships, a number of other trophies and a Champions League final (we lost to Barcelona).
When it appeared that long time manager, Arsene Wenger, had run out of new ideas around four years ago, the club began to not live up to the lofty expectations. The 2019-2020 season just ended and it is the fourth straight year that Arsenal have not finished in the top four and qualified for the Champions League. In fact this was Arsenal’s worst record in 25 years. The club finished eighth and therefore did not qualify for the Champions League or its lesser cousin the Europa League. (whether you understand soccer of not, the bottom line is, not qualifying for these competitions, hurts clubs economically. With less money coming in, it becomes harder for teams to compete with the big boys that have the ability to spend money on new players like drunken sailors).
Arsene Wenger retired from Arsenal after 22 years as manager in May 2018. He was replaced by Unai Emery who was in over his head. It was obvious something had to change. Once Emery was sent packing in December 2019, former club captain and apprentice to Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, was hired as Arsenal’s new manager.
Arteta took the flawed squad that he inherited and started to instill discipline and a new attitude into the players. There were ups, there were downs but it was obvious that the new manager was having an impact.
Of course the Coronavirus pandemic caused the league to shut down for three months. The “restart” commenced on June 17th with Arsenal being humiliated by Manchester City 3-0. In an effort to get the delayed season finished, games came thick and fast.
Arsenal met champions Liverpool on July 15th and expectations were that the Gunners would be slaughtered. Liverpool dominated possession, yet somehow the Gunners were able to overcome a one goal deficit, take the lead and keep Liverpool at bay. It was a truly impressive and uplifting victory for fans that had expected the worst.
Just three days later, the Gunners went to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final versus heavily favored Manchester City. It was a forgone conclusion that City would crush Arsenal and inflict more embarrassment upon the club.
Then something crazy happened. Arsenal defended. In fact they defended unlike they have in years. We were outshot 16-4, City had 71% of the possession yet the Gunners proved resilient. Arsenal took advantage of Manchester City mistakes and defended like mad. The 2-0 victory was such an unexpected result but it brought hope to a club and fan base in need of something positive to inspire them.
When Chelsea defeated Manchester United in the other semi-final Arsenal were once again viewed as underdogs for the trophy. (Again for those that don’t know the history of Arsenal and the FA Cup, this trophy is one that Arsenal have won the most of any English side. Going in to this final, the Gunners had 13 FA Cup victories including three within the last six years.)
The importance of this match for Arsenal was less about trophies and more about the financial impact of a victory. With their eighth place finish, the Gunners were out of luck for next season’s European competitions. The team’s ONLY way to qualify was to win the FA Cup. A loss would make Arteta’s Arsenal rebuilding project that much harder.
Arsenal and Chelsea have always been rivals, but in recent years, Chelsea have had the edge over their North London Rivals. (this is the side owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The tension that Arsenal fans were feeling heading into this match was insane.
Again, Arsenal fans were praying for the best but deep down the doubts were there. A loss would be devastating for three reasons: the loss of a trophy, losing to the hated Frank Lampard and Chelsea and it would seal Arsenal’s fate as also rans for European club competition next season.
It didn’t take long for the negativity and doubt to seep in. In the 5th minute Captain America, Hershey’s own, Christian Pulisic, gave Chelsea a 1-0 lead. The confidence level for Arsenal supporters at this point was extremely low.
Rather than imploding and falling apart, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal instead fought back.
In the 28th minute, Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was fouled by Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta in the box (he should have received a red card). Aubameyang slotted home the penalty and the match was now level 1-1. Hope had been restored. That didn’t quell the nervous tension, but the possibility of a win was now there.
The momentum had changed and confidence was building for Arsenal. Then in the 67th minute a Hector Bellerin ball found Nicolas Pepe, he crossed it to Aubameyang, who toyed with defender Kurt Zouma and chipped the ball over Chelsea stand in keeper Willy Caballero. It was now 2-1 to Arsenal with 23 minutes remaining.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic received a second yellow in the 73rd minute and Chelsea were reduced to ten men. The nerves started to fade and confidence took over. Arsenal had the lead and a man advantage late in the match.
Chelsea looked defeated and Arsenal now looked confident.
When the final whistle sounded, Arsenal won the club’s 14th FA Cup trophy and had now qualified for next season’s Europa League competition. An added bonus, was that Arsenal’s win, meant that hated rivals Tottenham would now have to qualify for the Europa League rather than just gain entry.
Twitter exploded with joyous Gooners from all over the world and Arsenal had given their fans something to be proud of and to savor.
It’s crazy how sports fans feel like they are a part of the team, but when your team wins, you do feel a sense of accomplishment.
In fact, this victory still has me smiling days later. Despite the fact that Coronavirus is still here, Donald Trump is still spouting stupidity, my job is still on lockdown and the New York Mets have been an embarrassment so far, I’m still enjoying the high of what Arsenal accomplished.
Hopefully the craziness of the world will rebound and sanity will be restored. Arsenal still have a way to go in order to be able to compete at the highest level. However, In the meantime, it’s great to experience a much needed wave of happiness from seeing Arsenal defy expectations with grit and determination.