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LONDON. — A dream died for Arsenal at St James’ Park. They were overwhelmed, intimidated into defeat, looking too callow, too brittle, their squad too slender. But not this year, not this dream, not this Arsenal.
Twelve months ago, their season ground to a halt in Newcastle. Defeat meant they knew their chances of Champions League football were over.
Granit Xhaka branded their performance a disaster, said they did not deserve to be on the pitch and suggested they should have stayed at home.
A year on, the shift in Arsenal was epitomised by Xhaka, flinging himself in the way of a Joe Willock shot, saving a certain goal. It was 2-0 at St James’ Park in May 2022 and May 2023, but to Arsenal this time, and against a better Newcastle team.
This time Arsenal already have secured Champions League football.
The dream now is of the title and if, once again, Arsenal may end the season disappointed, it will be a different kind of disappointment.
A year on, Arsenal exorcised their past by remembering it and revisiting it.
The All or Nothing documentary captured some of Mikel Arteta’s motivational methods, his attempts to prepare his team for a trip to Anfield by blasting out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at their Colney training ground. Yet it transpired All or Nothing itself could be used to galvanise Arsenal.
The cameras had captured Arteta, in the sanctuary of the St James’ Park dressing room, telling his team they were “embarrassing”, that Newcastle were “10,000 times” better, that they should “shut your mouth and eat it”.
He showed them the footage again in the team meeting at their hotel.
“When you have the emotions we had last year in that dressing room, you have to feel them again, realise how nasty they are and then find a way to approach the game differently,” Arteta explained. — Independent UK
Online Reporter