Arsenal 5-0 Wolves (Xhaka 11,14′, Saka 27′, Jesus 58′, Kiwior 78′)
EMIRATES STADIUM — Beginnings, endings and everything in between coalesced under a cloak of glorious sunlight as the season Arsenal fans learned to love again came to its conclusion.
The endings were perhaps the most pronounced; final, forced admissions of defeat, the obliteration of the last iotas of strained hope. There would be no guard of honour. The Premier League trophy never floated onto the Emirates turf atop a plinth.
Someone, somewhere, was particularly adamant they were having the greatest day of their life, thank you very much, having parted with tens of thousands of pounds for a match which once promised immortality.
Another finale was Granit Xhaka’s, crowned by sneaking into the penalty area to score twice in three minutes on his 297th and what is expected to be final Premier League appearance for Arsenal. A last vestige of the Arsene Wenger era, allowing Xhaka to join Bayer Leverkusen is confirmation the Gunners will now only shop for football’s finest delicacies.
The effects of losing his grit and experience for a less weather-beaten but also less battle-hardened model may be more severe than anticipated in an already immature dressing room.
Ultimately played against the backdrop of perceived failure, Arsenal’s performance, however sumptuous and slick, was slightly spoiled, muffled, lacking *something*, like listening to the Moonlight Sonata on the tube. They returned to the form which once dragged them to the Premier League’s summit on an afternoon conspicuously significant for its lack of significance.
The beginnings are less obvious but no less exciting. Next season will be the first since Wenger’s retirement in which Arsenal begin among the title favourites, yet what this team wants to or will become is still unclear. This final day was the culmination of a circle of lost and rediscovered identity, of a club returning to what it considers its rightful place. It was also the start of a future burdened once more by the weighty responsibilities attached to that identity.
At King’s Cross station, Newcastle fans had conquered the westbound Piccadilly Line platform, black and white and glad all over, speakers screeching the Champions League anthem. Heading the other way, one Arsenal fan brazenly jibed “they’re not used to it.” “Neither are we” came the sober reply.
This is the immovable reality for Mikel Arteta’s side. Competing for silverware in Europe’s two most monied and prestigious competitions presents obstacles they are currently underprepared for, demands depth and strength and experience they desperately lack.
With 84 points, this was Arsenal’s best league campaign since the Invincibles – their third full season under Arteta and the third consecutive improvement. Perhaps the most momentous decision they must make to continue this constant advancement is what their relationship with Manchester City will be.
Having poached Pep Guardiola’s favourite disciple and two City stalwarts in recent seasons, Arsenal have undoubtedly taken significant inspiration from the Etihad. Arteta’s shamanic aura and preference for the spiritual-theatrical is unmissably Guardiolan, as are substantial parts of his tactical philosophy.
Given many consider Guardiola to be the greatest active manager, this is not inherently a disadvantage. Yet conventional wisdom suggests followers will, by definition, always trail behind. City nabbed the managerial guru and most of the boardroom from Guardiola’s Barcelona side, yet have largely forged their own path to the footballing perfection they finally appear to have achieved.
Arsenal are increasingly desperate to discover their own perfection and the strength to stave off impatience in this quest will be fundamental. Do they continue learning from the City model, or venture out on their own? If next season’s improvement is not so obviously linear, do they possess the mental fortitude to continue investing wisely and naturally evolving, or will they wantonly splurge and attempt to force change at the first sightings of failure?
Always faithful to his amateur therapist shtick, Arteta said “I need to reflect, think and visualise, feel what the best way is going to be to bring this group of players to a different level.”
He also reasserted Arsenal’s intentions to reach the top, saying “we want to be the best, and in order to do that, we’re going to have to improve.
“We didn’t expect to finish where we are. It’s a lot but it’s still not enough to win it. If we want to be the real deal, we have to be much better.”
The Spaniard was coy about Arsenal’s potential transfer business, yet highlighted his appreciation of the unity which has taken his side this far: “I’m really interested in understanding what we have in-house, how we can improve, maximise what we have and take them to the next level. We don’t want to lose that cohesion around the team, that understanding.”
Endings have enjoyed their moment in the north London sun, now is the age of beginnings. Renewing William Saliba’s contract, which expires next summer, is a priority, as is ensuring the acquisition of one or both of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.
Between his Hispanic twang and the travails of a tannoy system, most couldn’t make a word out from Arteta’s parting speech, but it didn’t matter. They whooped and hollered and cheered all the same, knowing that for this Arsenal side, everything is still just a beginning.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/YlfGm0z
Post a Comment