by A sight captured by anyone watching the football at 25 minutes past six on Sunday: a stand of empty seats. Arsenal trailed 2-0 at home to Aston Villa with their title hopes squeezed into context. It was a surprising result but so was the behavior of the Arsenal fans.
Should their team, who have won 10 of 11 in the league before, have some faith in the bank? You wouldn’t know it from the walks that followed as Villa took the lead, then a massive departure when Ollie Watkins doubled it three minutes later. By the final whistle most were gone, you could pick out the white gun emblem amongst the faded red seats in the East Stand.
If you didn’t know it you would think that Arsenal had a Manchester United, Chelsea, or Sheffield United season. Indeed they were still a sensible bet for a first league title in 20 years, at least until the 84th minute. Instinctively you were waiting for the usual full-time playlist that accompanies a fast-emptying situation: three peeps of the referee’s whistle, heartbroken applause then some loud offensive music to drown them out. Instead there was a moment of silence. No anger, just indifference. Mikel Arteta’s team deserved better.
First of the caveats, and there are plenty. A team that seems to lose will always encourage some natural dissipation, and the traffic hitters were looking to end their day prematurely. Anyone attending any event has the right to leave when they wish. They are not held at Ashburton Grove to the satisfaction of Stan Kroenke, nor eligible for a prize for stubbornly extending an unpleasant afternoon.
No other fan should have the moral superiority of being the ultimate whistle blower. It can be difficult to leave something at a 1,000 capacity venue, let alone a 60,000 venue. There is rarely a queue to get into fun tube stations, especially with children or the elderly in tow. Arsenal played badly and people were disappointed. Seven minutes is a lot of hurt time when you really need the toilet. And yet.
Coming to this stadium was a big difference from the Unai Emery era. The end of the now-Villa manager’s tenure was one of the more emotional since Arsene Wenger’s long decline, and the rise under Arteta over the past few seasons has seen a happier, more optimistic atmosphere. Anecdotally there is an older cohort who were so tired of the stasis of football or the anger of the fans at Wenger that they managed to leave season tickets. Emery’s predictable failure to save a charter ship further determined that they had better things to do with their Saturday/Sunday/midweek/Monday and sometimes Friday nights.
So the crowd at Arsenal looks much younger and more diverse than any of the other London football clubs. This is usually helpful. It’s louder, more supportive and some fine young men in black beat a drum behind the back in the Clock End.
The club has adopted Louis Dunford’s The Angel (listen to his refrain “Norrrff Lahndan go deo” being sung in the masse before the start) as an anthem for the new era. It is belted by the majority, scarves held aloft in a display of pride that was unimaginable when the pre-season Emirates Cup was the club’s main title every year. But there is clearly a deep muscle memory from being disappointed at Arsenal. Unfortunately, that was awakened by Villa’s brilliance. This certainly seemed to be doubly irritating thanks to Emery’s involvement.
Arteta’s side were extremely lethargic for the second half and needed pressure from the crowd. They became grumbles and frustrated when they lost possession very often. Oleksandr Zinchenko was a particular target, with groans and insults after a few brain fades.
Now Arsenal supporters will be questioning whether their team has the ability to fight for the title. The players may ask the fans the same question. He seemed abandoned at a time of need, but that is a harsh reading of a wider truth.
As early as Sunday morning this was being talked about as the biggest title race the Premier League could ever have. After Liverpool won against Crystal Palace that was doubtful even before the start in London. As it became clear that Arsenal were not only failing to take advantage of Liverpool’s slippage but conceding leadership at the top to Manchester City, all the air went out.
It was a terrible evening for the neutrals because we have all seen this movie before. City are not the team you want ahead of you at this point and anyone who wants another champion or long excitement is feeling low today. But not as low as Arsenal fans. The only conclusion left by the seats they left behind is that they believe their team is badly beaten now, with six games still to play.
