A simple question, hopefully.
A few of us on here, myself included, really thought the title was done and dusted when Arsenal were 8 points clear with a game in hand. However, as always, only a foolish man would bet against a City resurgence in the second half of the season. We came back again, we won the league again, and that means those of us who doubted are left to wonder why we ever questioned the inevitable.
But if you were someone who doubted that City could do a three-peat, when did you first allow yourself to hope that we could do it?
Funnily enough for me, it wasn't a City game that did it. It was Arsenal's 3-2 win over Bournemouth. Obviously the wild celebrations on that day were understandable, and Arsenal getting three points must have made it seem like the end for many City fans, but it was the reaction after the game that got me wondering whether Arsenal had the nerve to hold on. It seemed like they thought the title race was almost over even though there were still 12 games left to play - almost 1/3 of the season.
The reaction to that game - it was as though there were only 2/3 games left for them to hold on.
We've won 6 league titles in the last decade or so - you'd think I'd already learnt everything about a title race there is to know. But watching Arsenal this season really has taught me so much I didn't know and really hammered home the point that title races are incredibly long. So much longer than anyone thinks, even when it looks for all the world that it's over. Arsenal really thought, with that win over Bournemouth, they'd passed their biggest test. Wrong.
Almost every Arsenal game from February onwards was stressful. In fact, go back to the Newcastle 0-0 game and look at Arteta. He's already cracking with months to go. In the final minutes of games they were either desperately holding on for a point after being ahead (Liverpool, West Ham) or desperately trying to come back after messing it up (United, Brentford, Villa, Bournemouth, Southampton, even Sporting in Europe). They somehow tired themselves out despite only having one competition to focus on just by making every game exhausting.
So what about you lot? What game made you think "Actually, City could do this" for the first time this season?
A few of us on here, myself included, really thought the title was done and dusted when Arsenal were 8 points clear with a game in hand. However, as always, only a foolish man would bet against a City resurgence in the second half of the season. We came back again, we won the league again, and that means those of us who doubted are left to wonder why we ever questioned the inevitable.
But if you were someone who doubted that City could do a three-peat, when did you first allow yourself to hope that we could do it?
Funnily enough for me, it wasn't a City game that did it. It was Arsenal's 3-2 win over Bournemouth. Obviously the wild celebrations on that day were understandable, and Arsenal getting three points must have made it seem like the end for many City fans, but it was the reaction after the game that got me wondering whether Arsenal had the nerve to hold on. It seemed like they thought the title race was almost over even though there were still 12 games left to play - almost 1/3 of the season.
The reaction to that game - it was as though there were only 2/3 games left for them to hold on.
We've won 6 league titles in the last decade or so - you'd think I'd already learnt everything about a title race there is to know. But watching Arsenal this season really has taught me so much I didn't know and really hammered home the point that title races are incredibly long. So much longer than anyone thinks, even when it looks for all the world that it's over. Arsenal really thought, with that win over Bournemouth, they'd passed their biggest test. Wrong.
Almost every Arsenal game from February onwards was stressful. In fact, go back to the Newcastle 0-0 game and look at Arteta. He's already cracking with months to go. In the final minutes of games they were either desperately holding on for a point after being ahead (Liverpool, West Ham) or desperately trying to come back after messing it up (United, Brentford, Villa, Bournemouth, Southampton, even Sporting in Europe). They somehow tired themselves out despite only having one competition to focus on just by making every game exhausting.
So what about you lot? What game made you think "Actually, City could do this" for the first time this season?