Arsenal must win all the games this coming week – Why do I feel like it’s ‘deja vu’ from last year

Out of the 8 sides in the Champions League Quarter Finals, Arsenal were the only ones in the second leg to play it safe, not dying on their sword.

Man, City were knocked out on penalties while the two Spanish sides actually led at times on Tuesday.

Some Gooners in their desperation to defend their club certainly didn’t make us sound like a big club.

Some wanted a pat on the back just for us competing. Others think Arteta should be immune from criticism because he’s the man who took us back to this level.

There was even attempts to rewrite the narrative. Younger fans are being taught that in midweek the Gunners finally fulfilled a promise that was made when we moved to the Emirates. Now we were competing with Bayern Munich. Except we were not. We won a group we were favourites to win, beat Porto as expected and then were eliminated by the first decent opposition we faced.

You know just like the majority of Arsene Wenger’s European efforts which were mocked?

The irony is the most competitive we ever have been in Europe remains when we were at Highbury.

Talk of our manager losing his job is crazy but he hasn’t reinvented the wheel either.

Think back to the day Mr Wenger walked away.

For years he had been verbally abused for just being happy to sit at the UEFA’s head table without making a fuss. 6 years later, we have gone round the houses, spent lots of money and nothing has changed. Mr Wenger would have beat Lens, PSV, Seville and Porto. He would have been told it was not good enough by the same fans who now call it progress.

Yet, do those supporters mean that?

I ask that because I know the same people who are saying we should be proud just to on this big a stage again, are the same individuals who said we would get to Wembley.

I have written long enough to know that some fans will be positive for the sake of positivity because they believe a definition of a fan is to say everything is wonderful about the team they love.

Everyone is entitled to support how they wish, but simply put, if your always positive for the sake of it, your opinion has zero substance.

For example, do you believe Eddie Nketiah belongs at this level or do you feel obliged to just say that?

The spin I heard on Thursday was that maybe Arsenal would benefit from our defeat in Germany because now we could focus on the Prem run in.

I suddenly was suffering from Deja Vu!

Where had I heard this before?

Oh yeah, 12 months ago when Sporting Lisbon kicked us out of the Europa League.

Remember how that would give us an advantage because Man City would be distracted by three competitions?

How did that work out?

Again, a big club thinks Iike a big club and that includes the fanbase. A big club learns from their disappointments. Yet why are we having the same conversations from last year ……

Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal – it’s okay some said, we have built up a gap to give us room for error.

West Ham 2-2 Arsenal – This draw meant we would now have to get a result at the Etihad to keep our destiny in our own hands, yet some fans reminded us we would have bit your hand off for this situation.

Arsenal 3-3 Southampton

We would now have to win at the Etihad to stay top, but some were happy to keep our destiny in our own hands.

Man City 4-1 Arsenal

Arsenal fate no longer in our own hands but Gooners were quick to stress that there were zero guarantees City would win their games in hand.

 Arsenal 0-3 Brighton

Reminiscent of our second half performance from last Sunday, Man City only had to win one of the last three fixtures.

Yet still some of our fans said ‘stranger things have happened‘.

Forest 1-0 Arsenal

Worryingly reminiscent to how we have played this week. As soon as title race is officially over Gooners preach how this is progress and we would have bitten your hand off for this situation.

Anyone else suffering from Deja Vu this week?

So, let’s make this clear because there will some who will tell you otherwise no matter what happens ….

Some will be positive no matter the reality.

Facts don’t protect your feelings.

Arsenal have to win all three games this week to have a chance of being Champions.

I fear I may suffer from more Deja Vu!

 Dan