Playing The Arsenal Way

Not sure I have too much to say at our expected European exit on Thursday. Once Athleti dropped down into the competition I said we’d go as far until we met them. Sadly I was proved right. The tie was lost the minute we let in that goal at home. How were we to beat them at their own place when the worst of the Premier League beat us on their own patches?

So we move onto Sunday and the Arsene farewell. There was the obvious backlash after Thursday that everyone needs to go, Ozil is a passenger, terrible wing back play, etc. But I have seen/heard/read comments that Arsene is leaving Arsenal in a worse place than when he found us. Hardly.

Whilst George Graham sowed the seeds, it was Arsene who put Arsenal Football Club on the map. Until Arsene came we were a small provincial London based club, providing sporadic threats to the northern powerhouses of Liverpool and Utd on the pitch and off it too. Correct, Arsene took over after we finished 5th in 1995/1996 and now we will finish 6th (TBC), but Arsenal Football Club is a much better and bigger club now for sure.

Thanks to Arsene he brought a style of play revered globally and thanks to Arsene we’ve had players idolised by millions globally – Thierry, Robert Pires, Freddie, Cesc, Robin Van Persie, Alexis, Mesut, Auba to name just a few.

Yes, maybe we’ve ridden the global popular EPL wave, but I can guarantee that our cannon is a symbol worn and cheered on by many more thanks to Arsene. We play “The Arsenal Way” which is more popular than many others.

Yes we’ve lost our way a little on the pitch but Arsene arrived with Arsenal being a big club in the UK, he leaves us as a global one.

#merciArsene

Arsenal in Sydney