Watching Arsenal is Difficult, But This Could Be the Path to Winning | Barney Ronay

The crowd was anxious, and players were either missing or out of form, but they have still reached the Champions League semi-finals.

I have become a meme. Towards the end of the game, already booked for standing on the edge of the pitch whirling his arms like an oversized wedding cake figurine at the world’s most distressing wedding, Mikel Arteta pulled his jumper up over his eyes to obscure the spectacle. Not so fast, Mikel. We’re all in this together.

At the final whistle, with a controlled, job-done 0-0 safely in the bag, Arteta was seen striding in front of the post-match column of Arsenal players, conducting the crowd, appearing as an urgent, compact, dark-haired figure with, from a distance, a business-casual Tom Cruise vibe.