In any other season, a team about to raise the Premier League title is often seen as a story worth celebrating. However, looking at Arsenal's reaction after the victory over West Ham United, it feels that if they win, Arsenal will not be the champion loved by the majority.
That partly makes many people feel confused. Because after 38 rounds, the top team in the rankings is always the most deserving team. No one wins the Premier League without going through a whole season full of effort and pressure.
For many years, Manchester City has almost dominated English football under Pep Guardiola. If they continue to win this season, it will be their seventh championship in 9 years - an extraordinary achievement.
Meanwhile, Liverpool once received widespread love when they won the championship under Jurgen Klopp. Even Arne Slot's first season brought a fresh and positive feeling to the majority of neutral fans.
However, Arsenal does not seem to receive the same empathy. Part of the reason comes from the image of the team under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal used to play attractive and energetic football in the early stages of the season, but there were also times when they were criticized for being too pragmatic and heavily dependent on set pieces.
Besides, Arteta's strong personality on the sidelines also makes him a controversial figure. His enthusiasm is sometimes seen as excessive, making the Spanish strategist not always create sympathy with neutral fans.
In addition to professional factors, the Arsenal fan community on social networks is also often judged as too noisy and easily controversial. This inadvertently contributes to making the "Gunners" the target of ridicule whenever the team encounters difficulties, especially after consecutive seasons of losing momentum in the championship race.
The recent victory over West Ham continues to spark controversy, especially related to VAR and the away team's disallowed goal. On social networks, many opinions say that many people seem to want to see Arsenal lose points rather than care about the accuracy of the referee's decision.
What makes The Gunners fans feel more uncomfortable is the way their team is often perceived differently from other big clubs.
When Aston Villa advanced to the Europa League final, the media praised it as an inspiring journey to end the decades-long title drought. But when Arsenal celebrated the same thing in the Champions League, the reaction revolved around the question of whether they could be too much.
However, ignoring all controversies, reality remains unchanged. If Arsenal wins the Premier League title this season, they will be a completely deserving champion.
And after more than two decades of waiting for domestic titles, the London team also deserves to enjoy their own celebration moment.
