It’s no surprise that, following Saturday’s debacle, the militants are louder than ever. Where the most fervent of the ‘Wenger Out’ camp go, the most ardent of the ‘AKB’ camp are not far behind, and vice versa. With two factions so audible, it’s often easy to forget the majority of us sit (miserably) somewhere in the middle.
But tonight, we should be united.
The need for change is painfully apparent, and really all the increasingly divided fanbase argue about is where it should be applied. That’s a complex issue, but on the night Arsenal face arguably Europe’s best team, and certainly the most in-form, the need to support the team and enjoy the occasion is as simple as it gets.
Arsenal are up against it tonight, and even more so in Munich in three weeks. Even if they were flying in the league right now they’d be underdogs. So for two sets of 90 minutes, let’s instil belief, lend support and, if you’re not lucky enough to be able to influence the game from inside the stadium, at least revel in a clash that fans of most other clubs just won’t get to be part of.
A true Champions League night
It seems unlikely that we will be in this competition next year. If that is indeed how it pans out I will be sad for our slipping status, but I’ll be sadder that we will be robbed of opportunities like the one we have tonight.
Bayern Munich is truly a colossal club, everything about them screams quality and heritage. Elsewhere on this site you’ll find a brilliant blog about how much of an inspiration Bayern have been and should continue to be to Arsenal.
With 16 years at Europe’s top table, we are undoubtedly facing them on merit but there’s no denying the glamour of the opposition. Arsenal may still be a massive club in many ways, but they host a global giant, and that is what Champions League football should be all about.
Among the nerves, if you aren’t feeling an excitement over the upcoming tie, the chance to test our mettle against a club like Bayern, and the potential to spring an upset, there’s no hope for you.
Hang on to this
You may think this obsession with Champions League qualification for qualifying’ sake is part of the problem – a wilful lowering of the club’s sights – but it’s hard to deny that our long-standing place in football’s biggest club tournament has been at least some reward for being consistently good and occasionally much better.
With Bayern 15 points clear in Europe’s most competitive league, on a six-game winning streak and undefeated in an 18-match run that has seen them score 47 and concede only 6, we have rarely faced a tougher challenge to stay in the competition. If we go out, we can’t be sure when we’ll face another challenge like it.
The anger over our decline and the blindness to the problem by those at the top is understandable. Whether your chief motivator is a desire to see us win something or just to avoid routine embarrassment, you are entitled to be unhappy about what is happening.
But for tonight, let’s park all that.
The players need support from the stands and, beyond that, let’s enjoy the opportunity to just be supporters for a game it’s impossible not to cherish.
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