The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

For rival fans, the next few days are going to be difficult, but because it’s Arsenal, it’s going to be longer than that. The Gunners, after 22 years, are champions of England again, and deep down, in all honesty, it’s thoroughly deserved.

Some will say it’s a death for the beautiful game, which it very well might be, but one can’t argue with the facts: the North London side are Premier League champions again.

For boss Mikel Arteta, it seems some of the pressure on him has been lifted. In his nine years or so at the club, the former Manchester City assistant boss only had an FA Cup win in terms of trophies to show for his efforts.

The former Gunners captain has been building a side capable of competing for the past few seasons, but they kept falling short. I argue that if Arsenal hadn’t won a trophy this season, boss Mikel Arteta would have had no option but to resign.

Let’s make no mistake about it, this is an expensively assembled team. The Gunners have a higher net spend than Manchester City, a club often associated with spending heavily.

What money can’t buy is mentality, and several times this season, they showed admirable strength in character. The home loss to Bournemouth seemed to be a sign that the wheels were coming off their title charge, but boss Mikel Arteta tweaked the team’s formation and personnel, helping his side regroup.

The defeat to Manchester City might have been another time where Arsenal would have fallen away, but they didn’t. The 4-1 thumping of Tottenham in their backyard was another impressive statement.

Sure, The Arsenal appeared to be Bolton incarnate, but this method has proven successful with it. Greece in 2004 and Portugal in 2016, to a point, prove my point that a team doesn’t have to play pretty football to win a title.

Simply put, Arsenal won when it mattered, and when they lost, they usually bounced back very quickly. Mikel Arteta’s men haven’t been the prettiest to watch, but boy, do they know how to get the job done.