Football fandom fuels a strange level of certainty in die-hard fans. In the heat of the moment, people don’t just think things—they know them. The referee is biased. The commentator hates us. We’re the best run club in the league. We’re definitely going to win the title this year. Kai Havertz is good at aerial duels. We aren’t overly reliant on corner kicks. We’re the biggest club in London.

If you’re friends with an Arsenal fan, you’ve heard these statements like a broken record over the years. More than two decades without a league title inspires a special level of delusion. Although, even in the realm of delusion, they fall second (yet again) to fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Listen, I truly believe this is their year. Slowly but surely, Mikel Arteta has transformed his team from a naive, ill-disciplined, inexperienced bunch to a guileful, technically strong, and physically imposing team. They are on course (take this with a grain of salt because I’ve been wrong for the past 3 years) to finally win the Premier League.

However, the outlandish takes have to stop. This isn’t an Arsenal problem—it’s a football problem. One big win and we’re invincible; one ugly loss and the whole sport is rigged. So let’s remember Erling Haaland’s wise words to Mikel Arteta from September 2024: stay humble—because passion turns hope into “facts” reality can’t support.