Ken Sirenius

It’s up for grabs now. Once again, an Arsenal side stand on the edge of history. There have been far more acclaimed Arsenal sides than this, of course. The 1930somethings, the Double winners of 1971, 1998 and 2002, the Immortals of 1989 and 1991, the Invincibles of 2004. This 2026 vintage of huge passion and promise has won nothing. Yet. They will not be favourites against Bayern Munich or Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest. Manchester City could still turn the Premier League title race and the title odds upside down. Apart from Bukayo Saka this Arsenal lack the star factor of most of their more celebrated predecessors. But with Saka’s clever goal and victory over Atletico Madrid, they have given themselves a shot at glory. And that’s all that fans ask. A chance to dream. A glimpse of a trophy. It's up for grabs now. Arsenal fans partied like it was 1989. Like the players, they gave their all. In an era when some fanbases feel increasingly disconnected from clubs, when boards don’t understand, the Arsenal of Richard Garlick and Josh Kroenke oversee harmony and respect, the fans onside, working together. Redaction Gooners set the mood, setting up the epic scenes outside the stadium as the coaches approached. Flares and invective for Atletico. Diego Simeone and his players will have seen far worse negotiating that roundabout outside the Bernabeu. Flares and songs of praise for Arsenal. For Mikel Arteta and his players, the welcome must have been uplifting. They knew the belief the fans had in them. Now go out and show the world. And they did. Arteta’s side share the quality of resilience with their forebears. They have players who play for the shirt, who stand up to be counted. Saka ran at Matteo Ruggeri. Ben White dominated Ademola Lookman. Gabriel was a formidable barrier in the air and on the ground. Declan Rice bestrode midfield. Myles Lewis-Skelly brought youthful energy that highlighted Atletico’s ageing parts. Viktor Gyokeres brought a physicality and almost a swagger that scared Atletico’s experienced sentries. He still needs to finesse the finish. Arteta got his selections, tactics and subs right. He got the mood right. He got the better of Diego Simeone. Atletico’s legendary coach cut a frustrated figure as the life ran out of his team, of his season. Arms flapping, his face like thunder, Simeone ranted into the rain like Macbeth knowing he was losing control, losing the battle. The game was up. Atletico went meekly. Arsenal went on. Simeone spoke of Arsenal’s “stronger financial power” but two of Arteta’s strongest players were Saka and Lewis-Skelly, Hale End kids. Simeone, the highest paid manager in the world, could more legitimately bemoan that Julian Alvarez wasn’t fully fit and that the great Antoine Griezmann, now 35, is no longer the force of old. What a player he was, though. Simeone couldn’t deny Arsenal a deserved victory. They are unbeaten in Europe this season: played 14, won 11, drawn three. 29 goals scored – one every 43 minutes. Six goals conceded – one every three and a half hours. Can they remain the Unbeatables? Budapest on May 30 will be a test but Arsenal, players and supporters, will travel hopefully. They could even be English champions by then. “We’re on the cusp of history,” proclaimed the Emirates announcer before kick-off. Even closer now. Three weeks, four games. West Ham United, Burnley, Crystal Palace then Bayern or PS-G. Focus, channel the adrenalin, maintain this level of performance and reach out towards greatness. It’s up for grabs. #AFC

Well done lads ❤️ #afc

Ultimately this is a tactical defeat not a psychological one imo- which I don’t think is ‘better’ than the more attractive psychological angle (in fact I think it’s worse) and to frame it that way discredits Bournemouth. For Arsenal, technical level needs to rise, without Odegaard and Merino not enough ball security under pressure and I’d wager we’ll see fixing that as a big focus in the summer (which obvs doesn’t help us now!)

Thierry Henry: “I don’t get carried away, but I have respect what Mikel Arteta is doing. A lot of people are talking at the moment, I don’t know if they’ve won the league, as a player or coach - it’s easy to speak!” 🤐 🎥 @SkySportsPL

@MerilainenMJ 😅

Arsenalin kasvatti Markanpanos tasoittaa. Mislintat oli hieman kiistelty kaveri, mutta kieltämättä Mavropanosin suhteen onnistui, vaikka ei Arsenalissa ura ei lentoon lähtenytkään. #valioliiga

Proof that there is still a long way to go before handball becomes a truly top professional sport? The matches in the final round of the Champions League group phase are not played at the same time - not even on the same day. #handball

There’s a weird agenda around Arsenal right now. “Boring.” “Only set-pieces.” “Bottlers.” “No winning culture.” Let’s talk facts: Went away to Brighton. Took three massive points. Stayed ahead in the title race. Increased their lead Was it a classic? No. Did it need to be? Also no. Title races aren’t won on vibes. They’re won on results. We’ve seen champion teams grind out ugly away wins for years. When they do it, it’s “mentality.” When Arsenal do it, it’s “boring.” Three points. Away from home. Under pressure. That’s not bottling. That’s growing up. That’s getting closer to the title

If you’ve been an Arsenal fan long enough, you’ll know when people say “you were respected when you played beautiful football” it’s a complete lie. We were called soft, no “cojones”. They simply enjoyed that we were easy for their teams to bully, and now they hate that they can’t

@MerilainenMJ 😅

Kliininen loppu, ei mitään hätää missään vaiheessa. Isohko voitto ja 3p lisää taulukkoon. Taistelu jatkuu! #valioliiga

Still, weak mentality. #afc

Was feeling a bit under the weather this week but a visit to Dr. Tottenham has perked me right up.

London is RED ❤️ #COYG #Arsenal ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Minns ni när Dr Hassan kritiserade att norska domare dömde Sverige i Handbolls-VM? Att de var från samma region och där med partiska, typ. Intressant att jämföra: domarpar från Kanada dömde OS-semifinalen i ishockey mellan Kanada och Finland. Otroligt att det kan skilja så?

Weak mentality #afc

It’s 2026 — and handball still hasn’t come any further than having national teams play two matches within 24 hours, and six matches in ten days at a major tournament. Horrible… All we can do now is cross everything we’ve got and hope there are no more serious injuries… #handball

Sveriges målgård igår sista 15 sekunderna🤣🙃 #straff #var

What a crazy handball match once again! This is in my opinion without a doubt a 7 meter for Hungary. #handball

Efter 40 min har domarna blåst bort ett helt regelrätt mål för Tyskland, gett dem två direkt felaktiga utvisningar i följd, samt dömt till Danmarks fördel i varje 50-50-situation. Och så trodde man att det bara var Nachevski som var köpt😂

Runners up mentality 👎 #afc