After Arsenal’s win over Burnley on Monday evening, I went back and forth on how to watch Bournemouth vs Manchester City. My friends who I go to games with had long since resolved that they would watch the game together in Islington. That’s the thing about going to lots of football games, you are always planning, scheming even. You always have your eye on the ramifications.
I resolved to watch it at home. I will be at Selhurst Park on Sunday and I will be in Budapest next week. My wife and my five-year-old daughter won’t be with me at those games. If the good thing was going to happen, I wanted to be at home with my family. And if the good thing didn’t happen, well, I could just go to bed and shrug it off and contemplate yet more grey hairs sprouting from my temples on the final day.
I met my wife through Arsenal but she had yet to experience a league title victory. A member of my immediate family has been at every coronation game since 1953. She was at my side at the 2015 and 2017 FA Cup finals. We watched the 2020 FA Cup final together while she was in labour. Our daughter was born 20 hours after the final whistle blew at Wembley.
Watching Arsenal this season has been an exercise in cardiovascular discipline. Arsenal have won 18 games by the odd goal this season. They have been behind by more than one goal for less than 30 minutes of the entire campaign. Nearly every game has been in the balance. Add to that, watching the team you are competing with for the league title and willing their opponents on. That is a lot of nervous energy to expend.
