Yes.
I am absolutely unashamed of the heading of this blog post. By 8.00pm local time in Lagos, Nigeria, I will get me some cold Heineken, sit in my living room and cheer the hell out of my enemy, Tottenham Hotspurs. Yes, we have a rivalry that has stood since the days Confederates fought in the American Civil War. St. Totteringham’s day is an iconic event on the calendars of those football lovers in North London. But tonight is about the big picture – Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 20 years.
When I was still a student at King’s College, Lagos, I got so accustomed to winning the Premier League under Arsene Wenger, or at least, challenging for the title against Sir Alex Ferguson. Then Jose Mourinho came into the picture with the greens from Roman Abramovich. Then Khaldoon Al Mubarak stepped in with the oil mulla. Then there was the drought.
Good Lord. If you told us that after Patrick Vieira’s penalty against Roy Carroll in the 2005 FA Cup final that we were going to wait nine years to see another trophy, especially with the quality at our disposal, I would have called you a big fat liar.
While we tried to hunt for domestic cup success, we were no where in contention for the Premier League title. The class of 2007/08 was impressive, leading all the way till the business end of the campaign, before the wheels fell off after Eduardo da Silva’s horrific injury and William Gallas childish tantrums afterwards. The string of results that came afterwards were unforgivable and Owen Hargreaves free kick was the final nail in the coffin of the Premier League title challenge.
Fast forward to 2013/14, the Year of the Rambo, things were looking up especially with the galvanizing acquisition of Mesut Ozil, after missing out on Luis Suarez, but the challenge waned off. Then there was 2015/16, when Arsenal was two points behind Leicester City after that late late Danny Welbeck header, but embarrassingly, a side that battled relegation in the previous campaign and managed to stay up by the skin of their teeth, somehow mustered a legitimate Premier League title challenge and won the damn thing.
Last season remains fresh in our memories, 247 days in pole position in the Premier League, only to lose out to the juggernauts known as Manchester City, managed by an alien in humanoid form, Josep Guardiola.
Tonight is vital for the destiny of the Premier League title. Tottenham has a decent record against Manchester City, but this Tottenham side doesn’t fill me with much confidence, considering how they have performed in recent weeks.
However, I’m not asking for too much, I just need a draw. All will be well with the world if Tottenham can get a win, but that’s me a beggar, trying to become a chooser.
Enough rambling for one morning. Time to focus on work.
Sayonara.
