Arsenal are going to Arsenal
Arsenal's own coach not believing in them down the stretch is a problem. Their historical tendency to finish as an (maybe *the*) also-ran is a problem.
The Arsenal-will-'bottle it' memes are a problem.
Here's what it will all meme - sorry, mean - when they do.
Arsenal will lose the Premier League
But they might win the Champions League. I know, surprise surprise for those of you who made it this far and thought I was an Arsenal hater.
This year's Arsenal team has an underperforming striker (Victor Gyokeres) amongst a side of seemingly impossible to motivate, very well paid, global stars.
And a manager, former Arsenal star Mikel Arteta, that obviously doesn't seem to know how to motivate them.
So, he goes to the press, giving the same quote I linked above. It looks like disarray, but my money says it's tactical.
For the blissfully uninformed, Arsenal have never won the Champions League. It is the only trophy possible for a Premier League side that has eluded them. So, it would track that it would be priority number one - yes, above the Premier League title itself - for a (relatively) new manager like Arteta, tasked with following the legacy of the likes of Arsene Wenger, famous manager of the undefeated 2003–04 'Invincibles' Premier League-winning Arsenal squad.
These young kids, sorry - the Arsenal players of today - won't listen to anything.
Except how they are perceived online.
So Arteta sent them a message that would be sure to get across their feeds. What's the downside? Either they will play better in the Champions League OR, motivated by the critique, they will play better in both the Champions League and Premier League. Win-win.
Or lose-lose, knowing this team.
Arsenal will win the Champions League
*Knock on wood*. Looks good so far, with the Gunners up at half versus West Ham. We'll see if Mikel Arteta's meta tactics pay off. Say that three times fast.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 10:03 PM.