Gunners under pressure: Excessive celebrations after Liverpool win raises stakes for West Ham showdown
Arsenal’s greatest players were divided over the celebrations that followed last weekend’s vital win over Liverpool at the Emirates.
Ian Wright was quite justifiably outraged that a few fist-pumps from Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard taking a picture of a photographer dominated the post-match discourse.
“Why is everybody trying to kill the joy? Don’t kill the joy,” the legendary striker pleaded in a video posted on social media. “There’s so much of the season to go. As soon as Arsenal do anything, they just come under a pileon. It’s like we can’t have any joy....the hatred is just so intense.”
Lee Dixon said he could fully understand his former team-mate’s point but admitted to feeling “caught right in the middle” of the debate. “I was celebrating because it was such a brilliant performance, but as a player when I was in that situation, you’ve got to be respectful,” the former full-back told BBC Radio 5 Live. “You celebrate your win, but you don’t over-celebrate.”
THE ‘BOTTLERS’ NARRATIVE
The one thing that they both agreed on wholeheartedly, though, was that the haters are now lining up to stick the boot into Arsenal, salivating at the prospect of Arteta and his men ‘bottling’ it again. The Gunners didn’t throw away last season’s Premier League, of course.
They were simply and inevitably ground down by the winning machine that is Manchester City, who are presently pursuing a fourth consecutive title — and a sixth in seven years.
CITY INEVITABLE?
City’s state-sponsored era of sustained success does not make
