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There was a moment in the first half at the Emirates when the return of the fans really hit home. It wasn’t when Alexandre Lacazette finished off a 30-yard curveball to open the scoring, nor were Arsenal’s other two first-half goals in a game. easy Europa League win against Rapid Vienna.
No. It was when a rare Rapid counterattack collapsed in on itself that two Vienna Marauders managed to attack each other and give away possession. The reaction was instantaneous; 2000 Arsenal fans laughing and booing as one. I was there. That is what we have missed. That’s what made all of blocking football feel a little strange. That is what could not be synthesized. It wasn’t the celebration, it was the urination.
Returning Arsenal fans in 2000 were always going to be the talking point here, especially once an already low-key Europa League group game (the Gunners are safe and now have top spot sealed) was resolved as a contest with first three- half goals.
And overall it was … well, it was still a bit strange, right? Better, but still weird. Somehow the sight of 2,000 fans spread across the vast expanse of the Emirates even made the return of the right crowds seem like an even more distant prospect than empty grounds. I can’t explain it, but the diffuse number of supporters in attendance seemed even more incongruous than any. They also kind of looked like an advent calendar in a crazy way. But an advent calendar on the seats.
“Your support sucks” 2,000 #afc fans serenade an empty ending.
– Henry Winter (@henrywinter) December 3, 2020
It is also clear that we will have to get used to the days and weeks to come with anything being attributed to the return of fans. But only positive things. Does Lacazette accelerate one in 30 yards? The fans did. Was it the way Arsenal were able to frequently and bluntly choose a path through defense because of their own good football or even more prosaically because of the huge talent gap between the two sides? No. It was the fans.
Interestingly, a sloppy start to the second half by the Gunners, in which the Austrians briefly threatened a West Ham-style comeback of sorts and deservedly retired a goal was precisely the kind of lack of concentration and focus that frequently it has been attributed to the absence of fans. However, her return was not considered a factor tonight. Strange.
Without a doubt, he felt differently with the fans. Best. Definitely a little better. But it’s still not cool, and it’s an observation that will be exaggerated to the point where we’re all sick of it by the time Arsenal take the field in front of a similar crowd, in terms of size and scarcity, if not loyalty. – Sunday afternoon in North London. Indeed, if the presence of a couple thousand fans on the field makes even a fraction of the difference attributed to it tonight, then the resulting disparity between Tier 2 and Tier 3 clubs means that the Premier League will simply have to be abandoned on grounds of sports equity.
Shenanigans aside, there is a more serious debate as to whether fans really should be back with the country still firmly in Covid’s grip but with the relief of a vaccine launch possibly just around the corner.
But looking at it purely from a sports perspective, he noticed a change. 2000 made its presence felt. They certainly made their voices heard (feel free to insert your own jokes about Emirates’ usual volume levels here). Nobody left the ground early. There was no traffic to beat, just as there was little opposition on the field for Arsenal to overcome.
They scored four goals, which will please Mikel Arteta given his scoring tribulations in the Premier League. They also missed a number of chances to score more and weren’t particularly clinical, which they won’t be.
Fans or non-fans, this was nothing new. Arsenal have already scored 16 goals in their five Europa League games, winning the lot by far; it has not yet been translated into Premier League form.
It would be wildly premature to see this game as a sign that things are definitely looking up for Arsenal. Much like having those 2,000 fans back, Arsenal’s four goals are not conclusive on their own, but they were still nice to watch, and they’re definitely better than nothing.
Dave tickner
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