For ninety minutes and sundries on Tuesday night, the Emirates transformed to Highbury. The spectators seemed so close to the field of action, blurring man-made obstacles, that they could pour onto the ground and storm their players. The energy was wild and raw, the men in the middle waged a war they were resolved to not lose, and the grand concrete arena finally found its soul, nearly two decades after it sprung to life, displacing the crumbling old stadium that had beheld the finest of Arsenal’s moments. Before kick-off they splashed a giant tifo of a ship with the words: “Over land and sea”.
A banner hangs from the stadium roof before the start of a Champions League semifinal, second leg, soccer match between Arsenal FC and Atletico Madrid in London. (AP Photo)That is what success does to a place. Arsenal could sense history winking at them, and the last seven days of May could turn out to be the most glorious in the club’s history — or the most crushing.
Even Arteta, a former Arsenal player himself, admitted he had never felt as much energy before. “I have never felt that in the stadium. The atmosphere, our support has created the energy, the way they managed every ball with us, they made it special and unique. An incredible night.”
Arsenal did not sweep Atletico Madrid in the semifinal; but they did enough to qualify for their maiden Champions League final since they moved to the Emirates nearly two decades ago. It’s the nature of champion teams — they grind out wins, they scrape and squeeze through, they trade beauty for function. The first Champions League title and a league title after 22 years could yet adorn their mantlepiece. Fate could be unkind, but Mikel Arteta’s men, hardened by heartbreaks and near-miss taunts, believe this time is theirs.
The scoreline — 1-0, a classic European result — and associated stats would convey an impression that the tie was close. Apart from a couple of penalty appeals in the second half, there was little cause for alarm. Both teams shadow-boxed for a long time, guarded their fort ferociously, conscious of not erring rather than inflicting the knockout blow. But Arsenal strutted with an authority that said they could not be defeated. That however much Atletico pressed and prodded, they would not budge. It was akin to a rigorously drilled march past, every move synchronised with the beat of the drum — a game designed in the boardroom and executed with robotic precision, more refined prose than wanton verse. They are, after all, masters at suffocating teams out of possession.
It’s not fear of losing, but the will to not lose — the relentless pursuit to leave nothing to chance. A moment of ingenuity could arrive, so be it. But until it does, they slam the doors shut. Something has perceptibly changed in Arsenal since the defeat against Manchester City. The past episodes of meltdowns were duly fished out after the 2-1 loss at the Etihad. But this time Arsenal didn’t slip, let alone wither. It was as though the City game had liberated them, made them second favourites again. The Etihad defeat also gave them a specific task — win the remaining games and lift the league. They relish the tag of chasers rather than those being chased. The week also showed that City are susceptible to pressure, when they dropped points away to Everton. History, thus, could yet be kinder to Arsenal’s three successive second-spot finishes.
Defeating Atletico would further heighten the mood of optimism. The biggest fillip is that after two middling months, they are peaking at the ripest time. Talisman Bukayo Saka has returned to fire up their previously stagnant creativity. Striker Viktor Gyokeres has adjusted to the pace and physicality of the league and begun to score freely. The team they encounter in the final — either PSG or Bayern Munich, both free-scoring — will be a different beast. But Arsenal have shown they can storm opponents or suffocate them. Both roads lead to the same place.
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Arteta always had these attributes in his squad. But since the City defeat, they have found something missing — belief. The belief that they can ride through every storm, the conviction that they can land their biggest titles. Arteta revealed as much: “Everybody can feel a shift in energy, in belief, in everything. Let’s use it in the right way and understand that the margins and the difficulty of what we are trying to achieve are huge, but we have the ability and the conviction to do it.”
They are not in the promised land yet, but they are nearer to its shores than ever before. They would fight over land and sea to reach there. And success could give soul to even the most soulless concrete structures. The Emirates could banish the sprawling shadows of Highbury forever.