This is just a product of football tribalism. Another team has success? Worse still a rival? Easier to brush it off as potluck, a fluke, dismiss it as a flash in the pan.
Undeniably, however, Arsenal have taken a massive leap forward from where we have been in recent history and Arteta deserves huge credit. Arsenal fans can see it in the performance every week, we’ve taken the proverbial step up. The fact opposition fans “care” about us again is a good sign, too. For a decade or more we weren’t even in the conversation. I take the little jabs and wishful thinking as wins for us as a club. It feels like we’re back at the head table.
Whether that will be sustained to the degree we’re title challengers for the foreseeable remains to be seen. But we were last season and the league table doesn’t lie, as cliché as it is, a 38 game campaign irons out the wrinkles. Our point haul throughout most of the year was enough to put us in with a shout in any season, regardless of what our competitors might have done.
I was actually a little pessimistic heading into this season. I don’t feel as though we had a particularly good preseason. This time last year, for instance, we were flying on all cylinders and were well placed to hit the ground running. Which we did. This year we’ve been very experimental, a little disjointed, the new signings haven’t quite jelled, but I was encouraged with what I saw yesterday.
This coming season just feels a little more open than prior years. City are undoubtedly favourites again, but they’ve lost some depth and starters, haven’t really brought in anyone to move the needle (yet). I’d expect Arsenal, Liverpool and United to give a decent account of themselves behind the treble winners. Newcastle could easily kick on again, but are obviously fresh into their development, Spurs it feels are a step below and who knows what to expect from Chelsea.
Excited for the season ahead.
