The average match day experience on Twitter has always been a rather interesting affair, but this year in particular has been strikingly unique. We’ve won 11 of our 14 games, and with each win you can sense that everyone is genuinely happier (before, after and during our games) and more confident in what this team is capable of achieving.
Except for a few hours after our games, that is. For this small time period is when BBC’s Match Of The Day (or MOTD for short), the most watched football program in England with 4-5 million viewers on average is broadcast, and is when Arsenal fans all over the Twittersphere show signs of irritation that is reminiscent of how many, many people felt for the majority of this summer. (Until that German fellow showed up at the tail end of the window, that is.)
But what makes this small time slot of irritation in an otherwise beautifully peaceful Twittersphere, a period of indignation that is borne out of “pundits” writing off Arsenal’s title chances so early in the season, is the fact that it has happened every week – without fail. Arsenal wins, and that makes fans happy – then MOTD comes around a few hours later, and that makes fans annoyed. I’m assuming people are expecting something to give with these pundits’ viewpoints with every win that Arsenal rack up, and are riled when their hopes are dashed.
But one must ask the question – does it really matter what they think?
Does it really matter if Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen, Danny Murphy, Michael Owen or anyone else on the show does not believe that Arsenal are not title contenders? Does it really matter if ex-players masquerading as pundits; ex-players with opinions, not arguments as Le Professeur so aptly put it recently, continue to write off a side who’ve won 6 out of 7 games (keeping clean sheets in all of those wins) in a historically tough month?
The answer to that question, whichever way you look at it, is no. In fact, it would be silly to accept their opinions as fact, even if they did believe Arsenal were sure-shot title contenders. They might have had great careers as footballers, but their opinions are just that – opinions. They do not become solid arguments because of their history as footballers. They do not become solid arguments because they are on a show as popular and prestigious as BBC’s MOTD.
Breaking down the anti-Arsenal argument
Just for a second though, let us assume that they have a point and examine the “argument” that Arsenal are not, at the very least, title contenders this season. What facts are these arguments based in?
The fact that we’ve gone 8 years without winning a single trophy, for starters. The fact that we went close and lost out in the end in a few of those seasons, 2007-08 and 2009-10 – particularly in the former where we led the league table for a majority of the season, and led at the top of the table by as many as 5 points in mid-February, with 19 wins and just 1 loss at that point. The fact that we might not have depth up front if something were to happen to Giroud – despite Bendtner’s impressive showing against Hull City this week. All of this tied together makes it rather easy to favor City or Chelsea over us as likely candidates, given their ridiculously massive squads, their form in recent years, and their manager’s record in the case of Chelsea.
Are they wrong? Yes… and no.
Let’s face it – we’ve been talking about signing a second striker for the entire summer, and the talk of a new striker won’t stop this January. We’ve talked about Morata and Pato in the last few weeks, and I would be surprised if one good showing against Hull City would change the general consensus surrounding Bendtner’s role at the club.
Not having another out-and-out striker could be an issue – only time will tell, but people would argue that there’s no harm in being prepared – especially in Arsenal’s case, after 8 years of consistent criticism about our lack of depth. But are we not prepared? It’s easy to forget that Theo Walcott, Arsenal’s top scorer last season, is being eased into the squad after coming back from his abdominal injury, while Lukas Podolski will be in normal training this week. Walcott and Podolski had 37 goals and 25 assists between the both of them last season. While both players were played out on the wings, they had a tendency to move in as opposed to going out wide; many referred to them as inside forwards as opposed to out-and-out wingers, and they both got chances to play up front. (albeit not consistently)
While neither shone in a central role given the lack of consistent playing time up front, and neither have shown signs of being capable of bringing other players into the game in the manner Giroud does, the numbers from last season speak for themselves. They are options in attack that do give us a certain amount of depth up front – particularly Podolski, who has experience of playing up front with his previous club in Germany, FC Köln.
(Selective) Ignorance Is Bliss
Whether we like it or not, and whether you believe that the MOTD pundits are right or not – with 24 games to go and 72 points up for grabs, it is borderline reckless to jump to any conclusions as to whether we are title contenders or not. That being said, we are top of the league with a four-point lead, our defense is the best in the league at this point in terms of goals conceded.
So if I had a point to make to conclude this – ignore the BS. It doesn’t matter if people continue to doubt our chances, just like it wouldn’t matter if people pointlessly claimed that we are going to win the league this year. It doesn’t matter if they keep doubting – as long as we keep winning.
