LONDON — Mikel Arteta said he is going to be the ‘biggest ever’ Bournemouth fan on Tuesday, as a win or draw for the Cherries against Manchester City will clinch Arsenal their first Premier League title since 2004.
“I don’t know how long I am going to watch it, I will be there in front of the TV but I don’t know how much I am going to be able to watch it, that is the reality,” Arteta said. “Andoni [Iraola], and all the players and all the supporters of Bournemouth, I think we all are because we know what it means if they get a result tomorrow.”
On the tube home from the Emirates Stadium on Monday following Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 win over Burnley which set up this scenario, their fans were working at the permutations together, aloud.
And it feels like Arsenal really want Bournemouth to secure the title for them, as taking this race into the final day of the season could prove too much for them to handle. Especially with Man City, the kings of the final day title win, involved.
But with a game to go Arsenal have a five-point lead atop the Premier League table over second-place City. Pep Guardiola’s side head to Bournemouth on Tuesday for their penultimate game knowing they have to win to take the title race to the final day of the season.
If they win, City will be two points behind Arsenal heading into the final game knowing they have to win at home against Aston Villa to have a chance of winning the title. They would also need Arsenal to lose or draw at Crystal Palace, which could happen based on recent displays.
“It’s in our hands. We turned it around, we’ve won every game since we last lost. That’s all we’ve tried to do, just keep winning, stay positive. We’ve not won it yet, there’s still one to go – Sunday’s going to be proper,” Arsenal star Declan Rice said after Monday’s win against Burnley, as he clearly isn’t banking on City slipping up at Bournemouth.
And that is the only real worry for Arsenal fans now.
If City do take care of business at Bournemouth, which won’t be easy as the Cherries are on an incredible 16-game unbeaten run, then the pressure is back on Arsenal for the final 90 minutes of the season.
And if they play like they did against struggling West Ham and Burnley in narrow 1-0 wins in their last two games, they probably aren’t going to beat Crystal Palace. That is clear. Defensively Arsenal have been excellent but just one moment of magic from an opponent, which several Palace players are quite capable of producing, could take the title away from them.
Even if Palace rest a few big players ahead of their Conference League final next Wednesday, the Eagles are still a much tougher proposition and a win at Selhurst Park on Sunday is far from a given for Arsenal.
Everything hinges on City’s trip to Bournemouth on Tuesday and Arsenal could really do with some help to get them over the line. Because if it comes down to Sunday, there are still question marks over whether or not this Arsenal side can get over the line.
That’s not negativity. That’s just reality. Arsenal have labored to wins against West Ham and Burnley in such a manner over the last week that it suggests there are still a couple of twists left in this gloriously gripping title race.
But Bournemouth can get rid of that pain and anxiety on the final day of the season. For one night only, Arsenal fans will swap their red shirts for the red and black stripes of Bournemouth. They really need this to be completed for them rather than the stress and chaos of trying to close it out on the final day.