Two things bother me about the narrative building around Arsenal.
First, we're told constantly that the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world. Fine. So what does it mean to be consistently fighting for the title in that environment? You can't celebrate the league's brutal competitiveness and then dismiss sustained title challenges as not good enough. Pick one.
Second, and IMO this matters more, failure in elite sport is not losing. Luis Enrique said it. Many others have said versions of it. Failure is not trying again. It's accepting the ceiling. It's going through the motions. Arteta has never done that. Every setback has been fuel for the next attempt.
The problem is social media runs on binary outcomes. Win or fail. Hero or fraud. No room for nuance. No room for the manager who rebuilt a club into genuine title contenders and is still hungry for more.
Simeone has been at Atlético for over a decade. Two league titles, two Champions League finals. Still no European Cup. Nobody serious calls that failure. They call it one of the great managerial tenures in modern football. And I'm convinced that given 14 years like Simeone, Mikel will win more leagues than him.
Arteta may or may not win the league this year. He may not lift the Champions League this year or next. But as long as he keeps pushing, keeps trying, keeps competing at this level, failure isn't what this is.
Find another name for it
By the way, if City wins the league, the achievement would of course be enormous.
🇬🇧 🏆 BEN DAVISON WINS @BBBofCuk TRAINER OF THE YEAR… AGAIN
@BenDavison_ picks up Trainer of the Year for the second time.
Another major recognition for one of boxing’s top trainers. 🥊👏
Brought to you by @PlayUndisputed
@leemarkjudges I recall Arteta stating numerous times we needed recruitment throughout Jan, Arteta had 9 games to prep the team for in Jan, the recruitment team did not deliver what was required, the club took a gamble and failed Arteta, the players and the more importantly the Fans
@BillyJamesCobb 3 goals in 13 semi-final and final appearances for Spurs & England. Great Striker absolutely. World Class not at all. A world class striker delivers in the biggest games, and Kane just doesn’t deliver. When/If he does, for me he immediately goes into that World Class bracket.
@lukeaaronmoore I’m unsure on the offside both players were beyond Raya, so it’s offside on my understanding? I’m pretty sure Spurs have had a similar incident in recent seasons where they had a goal ruled out for the same scenario?
@lukeaaronmoore If that incident happened anywhere else on the pitch, a foul is given. The slight nudge on Gabriel has caused him to get under the flight of the ball, without the nudge Gabriel would have won the ball. The push has allowed Joelington an advantage.
@lukeaaronmoore okay, but Man Utd had an equaliser disallowed against Brighton for the exact same incident. How can a similar incident have different decisions a week apart?
@GNev2 For what? Football is a contact sport, the contact was his trailing leg and wasn’t high at all. Late yes, but not dangerous. Yellow card was enough. Pathetic opinion.
@BillyJamesCobb@GNev2 ETH is a fraud, Utd fans convinced he’s great because they’ve had to put up with crap previously. But what is this Utd team good at? They not solid at the back! They dont dominate in midfield! They not killers in attack! What do they do which makes anyone think they’re improving?