I am still basking in the afterglow from yesterday’s North London Derby win. It’s been a while since Arsenal had won one of those, and I’d forgotten what it feels like. It’s nice. We sometimes half-jokingly, half-seriously ask ourselves “why do we watch this sport” or “why do we support this particular club?” Yesterday’s win was a reminder of why we do.
I’m so impressed by how well the side played. It’s as if the improvement we’ve seen since Boxing Day all came to a head, and the team put together an even better performance because of it. Yes, there is still work to be done and improvement to be made, but the team is definitely moving in the right direction under Mikel Arteta.
It was also such a welcome change to see the side step up in a big game and rise above and beyond the level the match and the opponent dictated. It’s a bit #narrative-y, but Arsenal did have a tendency to wilt / have their worst flaws magnify and repeat at the worst moments over the past five (or so) seasons. Yesterday, they did the exact opposite, with several players putting in absolute stormers (if you haven’t yet, check out Aidan and my dueling player ratings).
So yeah, I’m still in a great mood from the win.