We can still finish the season on a high! By Sylvester Kwentua
While growing up, my father had this popular saying he enjoyed ringing into my ears, “how many times a man falls does not define a man, it is the number of times he rises up, after a fall that defines him” he will say. He taught me one of the fundamentals of life and that is that every great man had fallen at one point of his life or another! What am I really trying to say here?
It is an open secret that once again, our season is likely to end trophyless! So many us; Players, fans and even the sporting universe must be thinking “here we go again”! No matter how we try to pretend about it, we are all disappointed in Arsenal for messing up another season for us. However, I believe all is not totally lost this season.
We still have the FA cup trophy to fight for and I believe this trophy is ours to lose. Arsenal football club has a great record when it comes to lifting the Cup as we have won it more than any other trophy in the history of Arsenal. Yes, we still have the two Manchester teams, Chelsea and Totthenham in the competition but who says we can’t beat any of those teams? We have beaten Manchester recently, we slaughtered Chelsea earlier this season and Tottenham, as far as I am concerned, is not really a threat to us, despite their terrific form. I strongly feel our players are feeling the heat and the determination to save our season and save their careers will be stronger than before. The FA cup trophy is the best way for the players to redeem themselves and I believe they will grab this opportunity with both hands.
Apart from the FA cup, we still have the top four to play for and I know Wenger has a way of always clinching the top four. The joke that the top four may actually be Wenger’s trophy may be true after all. Even if Wenger was to resign at the end of the season, won’t he love to leave the team on a high? Won’t he feel bad if he doesn’t reach his yearly goal? Qualifying for the Champions’ league is one sure way of attracting quality players and probably a good coach, if Wenger chooses to step down!
The UEFA champions league is still there for the taking! The Bayern Munich that won us in the first leg was not spectacular and I know the players must be feeling sad for not taking advantage of them. We played with fear and afforded them too much respect. If only Ozil and Xhaka had scored their goals in the first half, maybe the game would have ended differently. Nevertheless, we still have the return leg to play and this is where we can show our mental strength as a team! Who says we can’t win Bayern Munich by four goals to nothing at the Emirate stadium? Who says we can’t qualify against all the odds? If there is one thing I have learned as an Arsenal fan, it is that Arsenal FC, rises up to the occasion, when all hope is lost! We will win our game against Bayern Munich, if our players can wake up from their slumber and play football the way it is meant to be played for a big club like Arsenal.
Fellow Gooners, you may feel I am dreaming but is it not good to dream instead of losing hope? Even if my dreams don’t come to pass, I still wish our players will try their best to end the season on a high because if we believe it, we can achieve it! I remain an Arsenal fan for life, what about you?
Sylvester