I have been following club football and international football for almost 5 years now. Arsenal has been and continues to be the most unique football team that I have ever seen. Sometimes I wonder whether Arsenal actually play to win. This is not a criticism of them but a compliment to their attitude towards football. The modern game revolves so much around money that winning is not just everything for football clubs; can’t blame them though, money rules like no emperor ever did. In this generation of winner takes it all and at-times to the utter frustration of it’s fans, Arsenal FC does not seem to think that winning is everything (I only said seem). At times, it seems as if winning for them is a mere by-product of playing a game of football and boy do they do it beautifully or what!!
In a way, you can almost say Arsenal is one of the few teams, another one that comes to mind is FC Barcelona of course, which has continued to play football as it ought to be played i.e. beautifully. Their game, for me, is like a heady mixture of Megan Fox and Katrina Kaif all packed in one. Arsenal does not have football players; it has artists. Every time the players go out to play they are given a blank green canvas called a football field and they paint the most fascinating pictures. Ironically, it almost always seems(and again I only said it seems) as if their 'goal' is to not score a goal and that a goal will only end the magic and bring an end to a great movie, just think about it.
Hey, it is not just Arsenal’s flair and its style that makes me go gaga over the club, but it is the attitude of the club, its players and most importantly its manager. I have always believed that the path is much more important than the destination. This is where Arsene Wenger, who co-incidentally has most of Arsenal in his name, has been so good with Arsenal. The man has time and again been criticized, and justifiably so, for the obvious lack of silver-ware for much too long but he has never compromised on his team’s style of football; he has made sure that a football’s journey from his goalie to hopefully behind the opposite goalie is more often beautiful than anything else in the world.
There couldn’t have been a more apt name for Arsenal; its naming could not have been more prophetic, because it does not just have a bunch of talented players but an Arsenal of talented players and most of them in their late teens and early twenties. Arsenal is for the youngsters, to the youngsters, by the youngsters. Ask a talented 15 year old who dares to dream to play for a big club at 20 and you can bet on him thinking Arsenal.
So all you “stylish” Arsenal fans out there ,the trophy will come soon but till then let us all enjoy the young Arsenal’s journey. When a coach, who is always under tremendous pressure from all quarters to smell some silverware, is not ready to compromise on their style, why should the fans? I would end by saying if there were ever a football GOD, his favourite team would be Arsenal and he would make sure that their style is "IMMORTAL" just like him.
