When the full-time whistle blew at the Etihad Stadium in northern England on Sunday, the live broadcast quickly focused on a close-up of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian had just scored the winning goal in his team’s 2-1 victory against title rival Arsenal, a result which puts the fate of the trophy in City’s hands with just five matches left to play.
So, with the camera shoved close to his face, Haaland decided to have some fun. While his fans celebrated in the stands, City’s talisman sent the millions of viewers sitting in pubs and at home a message.
Looking down at the camera with a side-eye, Haaland smirked and sang the chorus of Flo Rida’s 2011 hit, “Good Feeling.”
“Oh, oh, sometimes, I get a good feeling, yeah,” Haaland crooned, in a moment that has created a meme worldwide.
It was also a moment that spoke to a wider narrative in this year’s Premier League title race, one that’s made it so exciting for the neutral and so excruciating for anyone associated with Arsenal Football Club.
An unwanted tag
Before we go any further, it’s important to define a typically British idiom that has been used countless times over the past week the Gunners have squandered a nine-point lead in the league.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the phrase to “bottle it” is to “fail at something because you are frightened.” It’s often used in sports, notably English soccer, as a way of deriding a team’s mentality in clutch moments.
And, rightly or wrongly, the unwanted label has been thrown at Arsenal and its players of late, with the team’s form abandoning them when they need it most.
That’s because for much of this season, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looked to have found a recipe for winning. It hasn’t been pretty – in fact, it’s often been hard to watch – but it seemingly set the team on course to end the club’s 22-year wait for the league title.
Now, though, that lead has been cut to just three points, with Manchester City having played a game less. It means if they beat Burnley on Wednesday, the Citizens will leapfrog Arsenal at the top of the table on goal difference.
The turnaround in form has emboldened opposition fans to have some fun at the Gunners’ expense. Before the title clash on Sunday, plastic water bottles emblazoned with Arsenal’s club crest were being sold outside City’s stadium.
Many of its fans were seen pretending to drink from them as Arsenal fans hurriedly made their way back to London.
It’s also why Manchester City fans unfurled a giant banner at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with the words “Panic on the streets of London” displayed for all the world to see – a nod to the song “Panic” by Manchester band The Smiths.
And although no one could accuse Arsenal of bottling it against Manchester City this weekend – the Gunners gave a good account of themselves on the pitch – there is now a growing pattern of the club struggling to perform when it really matters.
It has many pundits questioning whether this team has the mentality to succeed.
The club, which has finished second in the league the past three seasons, lost the League Cup final to City last month. It was then knocked out of the FA Cup quarterfinals by a team from a league below.
And while it still sits top of the league for now, there is something in the air that suggests this could be another “bridesmaid, not the bride” season for Arsenal and its fans. It’s likely what Haaland was referring to with that message down the camera on Sunday.
Arteta and his Arsenal squad have, of course, downplayed the noise around the club this season, arguing that the widespread mocking doesn’t impact the inner sanctum of the team.
Arsenal’s star midfielder Declan Rice was even seen telling his teammates on the pitch Sunday that “it’s not over” in terms of the title race, and, on paper at least, he’s right.
Taking a macro look at it all, the Gunners are still having a brilliant season. They still have a real chance of winning the Premier League and just qualified for the Champions League semifinals – albeit in particularly turgid and uninspiring fashion. And yet, you’d struggle to find even the most ardent Arsenal fan who is confident of winning both.
Objective hope
That’s because soccer is not played on paper or on AI-generated simulations that, even now, say Arsenal might be the favorite to win the league.
Emotion, momentum and mentality all play such a massive part in the sport and it’s why Manchester City will be licking its lips heading into the last five games of the league season.
City manager Pep Guardiola has been here before. In truth, there is no one better in the world – maybe ever – for guiding a team to league success. Many of its players have won big trophies in the past and stars such as Haaland and Rayan Cherki look to be having fun with it. The fans have also seen this all before and feel confident that, once again, this is their season.
Compare that to Arsenal and the difference couldn’t be more striking. The players looked worked up at times and the fans are nervous. Arteta, who worked under Guardiola at City before joining the north London club, is saying the right things, but there are questions about whether he really believes the messages of hope himself.
One thing you can’t question is the form. In the first 49 matches of this season, Arsenal lost a total of three games. In the past six matches, in games which are so vital, Arsenal has lost four times.
The hope now for Gunners fans is that their team can take some inspiration from the improved performance, albeit a losing one, against Manchester City yesterday and turn around their form just in time.
The rest of the season is likely to be a straight shootout. It’s all about who can hold their nerve and who blinks first.
“We have three points of advantage and five games to play. So everything is still to play for,” Areta claimed in his post-match press conference Sunday, pointing out the objective logic that has his team very much on the edge of history.
“So we know how much we want it and we’re not going to stop and we’re going to go again, that’s for sure.”
This season, though, it feels like it’s not only the league at stake for Arsenal. It’s also an opportunity to shake off that unwanted tag of maybe men and finally give its fans something to gloat and celebrate about.
