Will Slattery

He does seem to have changed course and realised he was better going this more pragmatic route.

I think what also maybe is a mark against them and how people view them is the league race should never have been this close.

No.

They did all the heavy lifting early in the season, like that run around November where they had eight successive clean sheets.

They were six points clear early.

And I'd say at least three times this season

I would have said, oh, that's it done now.

Like completely done, it's over.

We don't need to talk about the title race again.

And somehow because they froze and they had fatigue and they're just getting dragged back into it.

So they never won it with the kind of authority that you would associate with a great team.

And even, not that it's their fault, but like to win it with Bournemouth doing them a favour.

It's not a fair point as such, but it kind of plays into that feeling.

is a four-minute, ten-second VAR situation away to West Ham.

That was it.

It's a perfect encapsulation of the dire state football is in.

A set piece, a corner, grappling, VAR.

It's a very Arsenal 2026 way to win.

It just is.

Miguel Delaney's written a great piece, by the way.