A FAMILIAR SINKING FEELING
There is a particular kind of silence that I absolutely hate, which follows games like this, a familiar sinking feeling that settles in your chest before you even realize the final whistle has blown. Back‑to‑back 0–0 draws in the Premier League: first against Liverpool and now Nottingham Forest. Two very different opponents, different contexts, but the same hollow aftermath; and this time, more than anything else, it feels like a moment wasted.
I’m extremely disappointed with Mikel Arteta and the players from last night. This is not because of effort, commitment, or even quality in isolation, but because of judgment and timing, because of what this moment demanded and what we chose to be instead.
The team selection felt wrong from the start, in my opinion. Starting with a front three of Gyökeres, Martinelli and Madueke felt very misplaced. We wasted an entire half trying to force cohesion where there was none. So, for me, this was not the game to bench both Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. This was a moment for authority, clarity and intent, and that’s where the larger issue begins to surface.
For me, this isn’t a tactical problem; it’s a mental one. Twice now we’ve been handed the chance to bury the hopes of our title rivals, and twice we’ve blinked and failed to kill the moment. We have failed to turn the opportunity into inevitability. That matters because championships are rarely won in moments of brilliance. They’re won in moments of discomfort, when the pressure tightens, when expectation creeps in, and when the weight of history starts whispering in your ear. History does whisper a lot to this Arsenal side. Twenty two years without a league title is a presence I often feel in games like this.
This brings me to our captain. Martin Ødegaard is not beyond criticism simply because he embodies the values we admire. Leadership more often than not exposes you. After his performances against Villa and Brighton, it felt like he was finding his way back to himself. But against Liverpool and Forest he was anonymous, so ineffective that he was taken off in both games, at the 55th minute last night. That alone speaks volumes, because when our captain fades in the moments that require clarity and conviction, something deeper is at play. This isn’t about form; it’s about burden —whether leadership is being worn lightly or carried heavily, whether responsibility sharpens or suffocates. And this is where doubt begins to seep in, not just externally but internally too.
Every time we fail to seize a moment like this, questions will resurface, about the manager’s judgment, about the players’ nerve, about whether this group truly believes it can go all the way in practice, when the margin for error disappears. That scrutiny is valid and not at all unfair. Winning your first league title in 22 years is not meant to be comfortable. It’s meant to resist, test you and force you to confront your own hesitations. Mental blocks aren’t broken by speeches or slogans; they’re broken by the repetition of stepping forward even after you fall again and again, until the fear loses its grip. The only way through is to push harder every time you’re pushed back.
Do I still believe in this manager? In this team? Of course I do, because belief doesn’t disappear because of disappointment. But belief doesn’t mean blind acceptance either. It means demanding more because I know what this team is capable of. I also understand the doubts that must be creeping into the players’ own minds. Players aren’t immune to narrative, and managers aren’t immune to pressure. Everyone feels it when a chance passes unclaimed. But this is the stage where you stop searching for comfort and start searching for resolve.
Twice now we’ve failed to deliver the killer blow. We have not crumbled, but equally we haven’t risen to the occasion and grabbed these opportunities with both hands. We cannot allow this to become a habit or afford a hesitation of the same kind for a third time. The eyes will be on Arsenal now, the questions will be louder and the margins will get tighter. And that’s exactly how I believe it should be.
If this is truly just a bump in the road, then the response has to be immediate and undeniable. It needs to be seen in the manager’s team selection, in the players’ intent and mentality. This season will not be won by perfection; it will be won by those who refuse to flinch when the moment asks for conviction. And that moment is coming again. The only question is whether we meet it or let it pass us by, once more.
Great post 👏👏👏