AND NOW YOU’RE GUNNER BELIEVE US?
The last time Arsenal notched up three consecutive second-place finishes in the top flight, they went on to win the league fairly comfortably the following season, beating Liverpool by seven points. With Mikel Arteta now in Phase 19 of the five-phase plan he embarked on to establish his side as champions, trophy-hungry fans of the club will be hoping he can emulate his predecessor, Arsène Wenger, by masterminding a successful title tilt after back-to-back-to-back finishes as runners-up. During his time at Arsenal, Arteta has left virtually no stone unturned in his attempts to maximise the potential of his squad, using opposing team’s anthems, a team of pickpockets, a longwinded metaphor involving lightbulbs, a training ground labrador, a bowl of lemons and an olive tree in his as yet unsuccessful efforts to get them over the line and on to the Premier League winners’ podium in May.
Of course with each passing failure there’s always “next season” and for impatient Arsenal fans whose team has now won the square root of nish-all in five years, they are currently living in those heady days of optimism where the assorted calamities visited upon them last season have been boxed off and temporarily forgotten, while those of next season have yet to make themselves known. While it is widely accepted that Arsenal’s inability to win the title in 2024-25 was down to a combination of factors including knack, a refereeing conspiracy and the minor detail that Liverpool were much better than them, Arsenal’s apparently shrewd and early dealings in the transfer market mean that among their fans there is a feeling – much like there always is – that their time has finally come.
In bringing in six new players, only one of whom prompted several thousand weirdos among the club’s fanbase to sign an actual petition voicing their disquiet at his arrival on the grounds he isn’t good enough, Arteta appears to have signed shrewdly, early and well. Meanwhile in terms of homegrown talent, the emergence of the young Max Dowman as a genuinely exciting game-changer is a cause for real excitement, not least because Football Daily has several T-shirts and a pair of jeans in our wardrobe that are older than the latest prodigy to roll off the Emirates assembly line.
“Let’s see how it goes,” said Arteta, when asked if the 15-year-old would be getting minutes in the Premier League this season after another impressive pre-season showing in defeat against Villarreal. “Let’s go into Saturday, into the break as well. He needs a little break as well because he hasn’t had any holidays, really.” Next up for Arsenal is another friendly against Athletic Bilbao this weekend, before they get their latest effort to win the Premier League up and running with a set of six opening games against Manchester United (a), Leeds (h), Liverpool (a), Nottingham Forest (h), Manchester City (h) and Newcastle (a) that suggests the latest plot to foil them has been hatched by none other than the fixture generator.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
It’s a dream come true. LA – what a city. If I’m honest, it was not my first choice … but [LAFC co-chief suit] John [Thorrington] changed my mind, changed my heart, my brain” – Son Heung-min on the powers of persuasion that led made him decide that a move to the USA USA USA was what he wanted after all. After being asked if he could win the World Cup for the USA USA USA, he might be having doubts again.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
An owner, a scout, an agent and a player go into an (unredacted) bar (yesterday’s Still Want More? – full email edition). The scout says ‘Mine’s a pint’. The agent says ‘Mine’s a pint’. The owner says ‘I’m buying, what’s yours Harry?’ The player says ‘My name’s not Harry’” – Max Maxwell.
Come on, that’s never Cristiano Ronaldo (yesterday’s Memory Lane – full email edition). Me thinks there’s a bit of penny pinching at Madame Tussauds and they’ve just whacked a Portugal kit on to a surplus to requirements Jacob from Twilight model” – David Bell.
Sympathies for John Millard for his letter o’ the day prize. No offence to Football Weekly, but dreck merch? Make mine a prizeless letter o’ the Day” – Steve Mintz.
His interest in nominative determinism made me wonder what Harry Piano (yesterday’s letters) does for a living. After asking generative AI for an illustration of Hairy Piano at work, I’ve decided I would actually rather not know” – Dan Davis.
Just a short, tear-stained note about Son Heung-min’s career in England. He went to Germany very young and without a word of German. England, very young, without a word of English and in a high pressure world in which Asian footballers, few in number, were largely disregarded, looked down on as being not tough enough, big enough or even man enough. Perhaps great stamina and running might be mentioned, the ‘praise’ given to Park Ji-sung who deserved much more appreciation. To play at world class level for half a dozen of his years at Spurs, to lead them at last to a European trophy, to win a Golden Boot with some wondrous goals (with no penalty-taking because of Kane), to win the Puskas prize with that astonishing run and finish at Burnley, to be Asian footballer of the year so often, captain of his national team and to transform the whole profile of the sport in his home country and perhaps beyond, that is an extraordinary achievement … what a man, what a player” – Michael Gilsenan.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day is … Steve Mintz Michael Gilsenan, who lands some Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions are here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the Football Weekly Extra pod squad as they preview the new Championship season and ask what Benjamin Sesko could bring to Manchester United.
RECOMMENDED BOOKING
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QUESTION TIME
Ben Fisher will be checking in to our Matchday live blog this Saturday to answer your questions on all things Football League. If you have something you’d like to ask him, send your question in here.
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