The sheer amount of collective talent that is present in this Man City team reminds me of the Galácticos of Real Madrid at the turn of the century with Vicente del Bosque as their coach. That was a team that one would build in Fantasy League with no limits.

Coming back to the present - This match The Arsenal vs Manchester City at the Emirates was a match between equals. For the past so many years, this used to be a free hit for the North London club. We would go into the match hoping for a win, but at the back of our mind we know, we had no chance. That changed a bit over the last two years. Every year we got closer. This year - we were again cautiously optimistic. But with Saka & Martinelli out, it was a very big handicap. Man City also had their own handicap with KDB and Rodri not available. So it was even in terms of missing out on the key players. But the feeling among the Gooners was that we are so close to being our best, certainly the best version of our team should be able to hold our own against this City team at our home.

And yes, we were able to match the City team. This was one of the finest matches that I have seen in the recent times. It was two equal team going head to head. There were not many chances in the final third, and the defence of both the teams was solid, but Arsenal were able to squeeze out that little bit extra that saw us go through with a tiny bit of luck. I think we deserved to win because of the teams’ defensive discipline and complete concentration for the whole 95 odd minutes.

I think one nil is the perfect score that does justice to both the side. No team was able to overpower the other, and this is expected when the winners and the second placed team of last year go head to head. Both were competitive and The Arsenal were able to nick it because we had that little bit of extra steel that we have built after the learnings of last year.

Salida and Gabi M were supreme at the back. Our whole defence was exquisite. The clips of Saliba duelling against Harland are going viral at this moment. It also puts in context that famous tackle that Saliba put against Mbappe two years back. That now in hindsight, was not fluke. That was the first glimpse of how good Saliba is against the very best.

There is a saying - strikers wins you games, defenders wins you titles. And with the current Arsenal defence this could certainly be the case.

And how will Arsenal react to these games especially if things start not going to as per plan.

I am still unsure if Arsenal can maintain the current form. Primarily because this a young team and we have never even been close to a title challenge in the last decade let alone be league leaders with 9 games to go. So I am not sure how this team will react incase they falter so close to the end. One positive in all this is that we have only the league to concentrate on while Man City have the Champions League and the FA Cup to focus on still. And it’s a well known that for City and Pep and the City ownership, it’s the Champions League title that they covet the most.

Whatever happens, it’s been a very exciting season. Being the league leaders for majority of the season, the rollercoaster of emotions, which absolutely no gunner expected at the start of the season. The teams has played some of the the most exhilarating football. And it was just last season, when all the fans were wondering how we would be able to match the standards set by City and Liverpool for the past several years. What a turn around it has been and long may it last!

A fantastic game of football that was finally decided in the last few moments - “Fergie time” almost with Fergie watching from the stand :) - thanks to Eddie - a Hale End graduate. This game lived up to its expectation. Man Utd started the game with gusto - Rashford scored a screamer to put the Red Devils in the lead. They pretty much had the upper hand in the first 45 mins. Arsenal were not at their fluent best. Many misplaced passes all over. But then Eddie managed to equalise. At half time, it was evenly poised. But the next 45 minutes, Arsenal came into their own. Saka matched Rashford and scored from long range to put Arsenal in the lead. And Arsenal were in ascendancy. But Man Utd managed to equalise through a header after Ramsdale was unable to clear a cross. The last twenty minutes were all Arsenal and its press that had the ball in the Manchester United’s half. It was sustained press. And finally in the last minutes of the game, Zinchenko managed to put a cross into the box that Eddie managed to connect and score the winner. The celebration was cut short due to VAR checking the offside. And then goal was ruled legal, the stadium erupted. It was the loudest I have heard even though I was watching on the TV. It was mad! Arsenal managed to comeback from behind to defeat its most formidable opponent at the Emirates this season.

For me - this was the first time I felt - maybe the could be a special year. Though the head still says we have just crossed the 19 game mark, 19 more to go. And, if we manage to keep it this close with 10 games remaining - the pressure will be immense and Man City would still be favourites as they have been winning these close races in the past. But l think, as a Arsenal fan, we must enjoy these next 4 months of just being in the race. Considering where we were 12 months back. This is a young team, young manager. We march on!!!

This was the best game this season. Though we have played and won many games just as brilliantly, but beating this lot means much more to someone like me who now gets to relive the past glories when this game was the title decider of sorts.

part 1 - pre match

Oh! those were the days! Viera against Keane. Wenger against Fergie. Over the last 5 years, both the teams have struggled - Ever since the departures of Fergie and then Wenger - both the teams have been the outsiders looking in - watching the likes of Chelsea, City and Liverpool fight it out for the top prize. But this year - it’s looking like, after a very long time, Arsenal vs Manchester will finally be a game that’s between teams that are fighting for the title. Arsenal did play Man Utd earlier in the season and that is its only loss of the season. But that was so early in the season that fans of both the teams didn’t know how the season would pan out. Arsenal were looking like a decent team, Man Utd were starting to fall in place with their new Manager Erik ten Hag. But none had imagined that come the January - the reverse fixture would actually be among the title contenders. Yes, I think Man Utd are as much in the title race as Arsenal. The 8 points gap is basically two losses and a draw in the remaining 18 odd games. Half way into the season, it’s not an unsurpassable gap.

The build up to this match has also been intense, the media has used to the past to hype up the present. As an overseas fan, this game against Man Utd is the most important of the season - the locals may say it’s the North London derby, but for us - it’s this one. It will be a close game, Man Utd always turn up against us. But Arsenal have been playing some of the slickest football in a long time.

So this are my pre - match thoughts, I will add my thoughts post match too.

Even to this day, his pull is unmatched. There are already rumours flowing of a plan to build his statue at the Emirates - this is a no brainer if you ask me, the man build that stadium.

Post his departure - and we all know that it was not a fairytale ending to his term, he took up roles with FIFA. In his book, he walked through his career, and provided some insights in the his time at Arsenal and his exit. He was hurt by how it ended. For me it was painful to see how his last 3-4 years panned out. The split in the fanbase - the constant Wenger Out sentiment. Personally, I too felt that he had done all he could and Arsenal needed a change. He stepped away and stayed away. In his many interaction with the media, you could make out he still cared about the club. So finally seeing him back was more of a relief. Relief because it means that both he and the club are ready to move on. Players shared pictures with him when he met them after the game.

Arteta during his press conference after the match said how happy he was with Wenger back at the Emirates. And how important it was for the club to have him around the club once again.

The Arsenal as a club has always stood for a style of football that’s a pleasure to watch. One touch passing, great players and above all doing things with a bit of Class. Wenger personified these values - The current team under Arteta, after the initial struggles of the past couple of years seems to finally recaptured the Arsenal - ArtetaBall is like WengerBall but played at 3X. Though nothing as been achieved yet, but the fans are the most optimistic about the future than they have ever been in the last decade. What happens at the end of the season remains to be seen, but at least the ride in 2022-23 is going be one to remember for years to come!

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Introducing the iRohit Substack

Well experimenting with this new publishing medium of the social era.

1. Why this, why now

I have a personal website, but the discovery aspect is non existent with Wordpress. So hoping this move to Substack allows for more reach.

2. What kind of community are you looking to build here

no concrete plans as of now. We live in age when it does take a lot for an app to go viral, but more often after the initial hype, the app loses traction or morphs into something that it was not meant to be just to sustain itself. Clubhouse was one such app, that had so much hype but by the time it became accessible to the masses, it didn’t seem relevant anymore.

3. Be specific

From my past works - I usually post views on events, sports, current trends with a slight bias to India, Tennis, Arsenal.

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