In Matchweek 29 of the Premier League, Arsenal won away against Brighton, and Manchester City drew with Nottingham Forest.In the league table, Arsenal hold a 7-point lead over Manchester City, having played one game more.
Arsenal were an extremely popular team in the 2022-23 season. With a young squad, a promising manager and an entertaining style of play, even neutral fans rallied behind them in their title challenge against Manchester City, but the team ultimately ended the season empty-handed. In the latter stages of Arsène Wenger’s tenure, Arsenal also played gorgeous football, with technically outstanding players such as Cazorla and Sánchez who always captivated audiences with delicate combinations and exquisite passes, yet they never managed to lift the Premier League trophy.
For this reason, the entire Arsenal camp is indifferent to the current external discussions. Even if criticized for their dull style, pursuit of pragmatism and tough play, the Gunners are instead relieved — after all, for nearly 20 years, they have been labeled as soft-tempered, not pragmatic enough and overly idealistic.
It is worth mentioning that current manager Mikel Arteta was once a member of the Gunners and personally experienced the pain of being suppressed by tougher opponents. He once admitted that during the heavy defeat away to Liverpool in 2014, he was once too stressed to face up to the situation on the pitch.
Today’s Arsenal, built by Arteta, can not only play fluent and gorgeous combinations, as they have proven many times in the Champions League this season; more importantly, the team can also adopt a pragmatic, tenacious and even slightly "ugly" way of winning in key games, just like they showed in the 1-0 narrow victory over Brighton in this round. Reasonably controlling the rhythm, using long passes to create set-piece opportunities, and steadily defusing crosses and corners in the penalty area have all become Arsenal’s specialties.
One of Arteta’s greatest achievements in North London is making the team both gorgeous and tough. If opponents want to play attacking football, the Gunners can overwhelm them with agile runs and delicate combinations; if opponents want to compete physically and in duels, Arsenal are equally willing to fight head-on. Nowadays, many people have regarded Arsenal as the "challenger role" in the Premier League. Brighton’s manager accused the Gunners of deliberately delaying the game rhythm before and after the match, further intensifying the emotions of fans from both sides, and this atmosphere is likely to run through the entire sprint stage of the season.
With only eight league games left, Arsenal must press forward with sustained effort. External doubts and hostility can instead become spiritual fuel for the team, allowing the entire squad to move forward with the fighting spirit of "standing against the world". It is completely acceptable to adopt a pragmatic style when necessary, rely on set-pieces to break through, and hold on to the results with solid defense.
They are no longer the fragile Arsenal of the past, nor the inconsistent young team of three years ago. With Martin Ødegaard returning from injury and Kai Havertz back in the team, the team has the ability to regain their offensive firepower; but even if they need to win through ironclad defense and tactical wisdom, it is also the right choice.
At the crucial stage of the title run-in, Arsenal’s goal is no longer to please neutral fans and gain praise, but to win the final honor. Whether the outside world likes it or not, recognizes it or not, it no longer matters. For this team that has been underestimated and mocked as "too soft" for many years, truly standing on the peak is more meaningful than any style of play. At this moment, there is only one most important thing: get results and deliver.