Can we win… it?

By Jahid Islam

Hello readers of We Love You Arsenal! I’m Jahid (@JahidFullStop) and following a hiatus enforced by a lethal World Cup and Exam season combo, I’m back with an article for you lovely lot!

Today, I look at if we can really do it. You know, the thing that we won’t mention. The elephant at the top of the tree, and the thing that predominates every arsenal fan’s mind. Can we win… it?

After the first few games, I was heartily impressed by our performances. Selhurst park’s been a boogie man blighting our records in recent years with that 3 nil loss still in the not-too-long-term memory. But their not a top 6 side, so there remained that doubt whether or not things had changed.

Our opponents hovered around the same difficulty setting for the next few games like a career mode save that you’ve ignored due to life getting in the way. But then, our first true test. Ten Hag’s United. Fuck.

Looking back, we didn’t play badly. We stuck to our game plan but were just outclassed by some face paced counter-attacking football. Fair play. Props to where it’s due. But that first goal shouldn’t have been disallowed. Bloody United and the refs…

They got away with another this weekend too with the Rashford interference controversy. Jammy bastards, but I’m less annoyed at that one due to it hindering Man City’s pursuit of us. Anyway, I digress.

That loss at Old Trafford signified a vulnerability in our Arteta-ball system; our over-reliance on that midfield duo of Partey and Xhaka being on red-hot form. I can’t help but think it would’ve been an entirely different game had Thomas Partey been on the pitch. Whatever you may think of the Ghanian, he's absolutely vital.

Further rigorous tests against Spuds, ‘Pewl, and Chels were passed with red and white colours. Victories away, at home, in our black, red, pink kits, you name it. Bar draws against Southampton and a resurgent Newcastle, it makes for impressive reading, and a now 8 point lead over Papa Pep’s Citeh.

But you knew that already. After that long dump of waffley context, here’s the juicy bit.

Gary Neville says we’ll finish third. Pep says we’ll win it, but that’s his infamous mind games at work. Even Conte said that we’re the only side that can challenge City for the title, but that long haired fraud’s plagued with inconsistencies that it taints anything he says with an air of suspicion.

As for me, a fledgling medical student crippled by burn out, fatigue, and overstimulation, I reckon the Champion’s league is a dead certain. Screenshot this for the horrific instance in which we capitulate and lose our next ten games on the bounce. I sincerely hope I haven’t jinxed it…

At the start of the season, I expected top 4, so to demand more and be overly disappointed with missing out on the title is a bit unfair. But at the same time, we’re almost midway through the season and with an 8 point advantage, a squad brimming with confidence and in superb form, so to *not* expect more goes against every fibre of my ‘that trophy’ derived existence.

I boldly claim that we will win the whole thing. I can’t bring myself to say it in fear of spontaneous combustion with gleeful excitement. It’s unprecedented and I don’t know how it must be to perpetually be in this situation as is ordinarily the case with Man City.

I now also understand the delusion of grandeur held Liverpool fans when they were on top. Key word being ‘when’, in the past tense. Chat to Brighton and Fulham and them man.

This might be our best opportunity to achieve that elusive trophy. With Chelsea flailing with a burgeoning squad and rudderless leadership by Potter, City’s ruthless style of play hindered by rigidity due to the addition of a robot upfront, and Liverpool’s loss of that deadly press, we can’t afford to not win it.

The only excuse might be a failure to strengthen and reinforce the side in the January window. Mykhaylo Mudryk’s failed move was always a gamble, and refusal to cough up the eye watering cash Shakhtar demanded preserves our principles of sticking to our financial framework.

But is sticking to those principles worth jeopardising a unique situation as the one we find ourselves in now? A reluctance to take Kroenke’s debit card and run to the inflated marketplace might look better on the balance sheet, but will inevitably compromise the table that matters to the fans above all.

Unless you’re an accountant, I assume you’d prefer a Number 1 in the premier league table as opposed to financial statements being green or whatever. I don’t know how money works. I’m in my overdraft as I’m writing this. I need to stop buying iced coffees.

There’s talks of us going in for Declan Rice in the summer, but we’d need an adequate midfield option now. We can’t afford to not spend the money, which is a funny statement to write, but you catch my drift, right?

Without investment, our thread-bare squad will inevitably capitulate in those difficult last few games of the season in which every member will be called upon. Overturning a deficit on the score line’s difficult when you’ve got no game-changers to call upon. And that’s where we differ from every other team traditionally gunning for the title.

I’ve been Jahid for We Love You Arsenal, and thank you for reading! I’ll catch you in the next one.