Smiles Of Willpower

Ending the weekend with a draw against Premier League current champion could not appease anxiety on the inside of Gunner House, but a fully brave resistance of those who were empty-hand after the storm gradually have regained faith, and then, spreads joy on the pitch.

The hands with pride of Golden Boy Sanchez, the lit face of Wilshere, or relieved smile of Wenger, all suddenly dissolved lots of strain and sorrow for many Gooners’ hearts. Once more time, Emirates had been suffused with smiles, hugs, though 90 minutes is still too short for the journey in Search of Happiness.

Arsenal of today no longer expresses any stamp of a giant. In return for that, the team is a severe dose of love and loyalty. Wenger and gunners have been nursing each match, keeping each point of the Marathon Journey. The most enthusiastic fans understand that, as they understand the value of life: No one was born as a champion!

Invective, panic and covering darkness after the failures have a significant impact on Arsenal players. Sadness is real, but responsibility and pride are still an unsoundable obsession. In fact, people were unclear when the Professor’s army truly come back, overthrow psychological barriers to compete as Nickname Gunner. However, above all, great construction called the Gunners have still been built every day, every hour. They deserve to be waited, although the road ahead is not scattered with flowers.

The most important weapon in this time is the smiles created after each round. They’re not the haughty laugh of might, or the affected pride of superiors. Those smiles had been barterred by the their own pain. Harmonic, balanced and smouldering spirant atmosphere is gradually built by new enthusiastic soldier. The way they cheer themselves passionately after each goal, the way they fought and bled, the way they chased after each lost ball and created each painstaking pass… All had rekindled the light of Arsenal family’s Hope. Wenger was rational when enlisting people who have ardent ambition and are willing to sacrifice for it, instead of shiny superstar. These factors, in spite of simple and staring at average point, can form a great family where people learn to love, to unite, to sacrifice, together make victories and cause failures.

Among fiery sound of Emirates, what is the point left inside each Gunners? Willpower and courage – the key points for those who wanna move forward to avoid swallow of fate. Be strong to dominate the fear, it doesn’t mean ‘not to fear’.

Although the sun rises every day, although experience always challenges belief, and although nobody can predict the destiny…

But, the place where willpower exists is just the place where path expands!

---

Along Broken Pieces of Memories

Broken pieces of memories create present life. For Arsenal, the debris did not only reflect the victory but also innumerable mistakes, terrible injuries, bitter defeats, or even the loneliness among giant competitors. Then, they still stand, with a weapon which was never lost, called Hope.

Last season, there was no magic gift making maturity and courage. If Arsenal affords to win the crown, it is because the Gunners had grown up inside the storm, on the sharp spines, and the fragments of time…

It is hard to say that Invincible Arsenal came back with a win like that. To be fair, Wenger’s boys extremely attempted to write the name Arsenal on the FA Cup. The discerning guest coming from the East Yorkshire took advantage of all things they have to make the game turn into impassive state. But eventually, the death scythe still kept their name. Football is like that, miracle may come at any time.

Unconsciously, people usually like what close to them. That is the reason why Arsenal is one of the teams which were loved so much. At a young age, people waste a lot of things and the mistakes they made are incalculable. But sometimes, the pain brought in a long time is also the fundamental to build meaningful feats. For the first time in more than 8 years, Gunners actually taste the atmosphere on top of a tournament.

No matter how the season ended, just standing up after excruciating falls makes them deserve to be respected.

For a long time, Arsenal fans have the feeling of living. That feeling is not the nonsensical haughtiness of championship, but the inspiration of pride, when the things they believe have come true. Being alive does not mean to become the number one, but simply to enjoy not only the anxiety but also the infinite bliss.

Wenger got nothing in 8 years, but in fact, he had not set any limit for the team. Arsenal always plays an exciting football to go forward, not to regret or to be tormented with failures. It makes them become a competitor who is very formidable at the moment, a team dares to dream, knows to fight and overcomes the fear.

A horrible schedule, truculent rival, shortage of force… and plenty of thorns still wait them ahead. But these difficulties will generate strength, challenges will form courage, and each battle will add a color for the dream’s picture.

Arsenal, just call them revolters.

Don’t say not believe, if you have never believed… Life always contains wonderful things.
“Impossible itself said that I’m possible”.

… Writing for all Gunners’ fans, who had been living with failures, who witnessed Arsenal collapsed in tears… in many times... in many years…

---

The wound that not healed yet

Arsenal is facing a very sensitive period. People all see its opportunity in Premier League, but some of them also have reasons to believe that once standing at the threshold of the paradise gate, The Gunners will fall like the way they did in the decisive moment of historical matches. The sharp barbed wire fence named courage is obstructing The Gunners’ progress, challenging, appealing their growth during 8-years-with-no-trophy. So easy to talk about the final 4 matches, but it’s still difficult to assert that they themselves can decide their position or not.

Countless mistakes causing falling facedown drew the picture of a floating Arsenal like a bind vagabond among fully trap battlefield. Most of Arsenal fan will want to be asked as Guillaume Musso - “If you could turn back the time, what would you change?”.

That's a good question, but eternally, no answer. No one can return to the past, and so, no one can beat the feeling of regret. Living with mistakes, accepting it, hoping, acting and waiting for everything healing, it is still the only way to survive.

Happiness is not something too complicated, like a clock, the more simple it is, the less damage it gets. Arsenal has four more games to close the season. With Gooners’ hearts, there are only four times left to witness the men fighting in green grass and ending everything in a certain scenario. Creepy, thrilling, painful, or filled with happiness? If Arsenal is out of Top 4, is there a disaster or an ending of a reign? No one knows.

Belief in an unstable team as Arsenal who can do extraordinary things must replace for intentional tactic, careful approach and solid mentality. Composure in the last games is the most important thing that the men have to get used to, like receiving the most surprising moments without any warning sign. People could think about fortune as the way we beat competitors in some games, but in fact, no one can use fortune and blessing to growth and get to the top. The fortune is just like Tet Holiday: We wait so long, and it goes so fast. ("Love comes slow, but it goes so fast" :v)

During the time of the turning point for the season, Wenger has the best players, but it’s not a prerequisite. Strenuously winning Fulham in the circumstance of higher quantity of players exposes many alarming situation. Like a fragile boat at the main sea with torn off sail and broken compass, The Gunners were easily pushed into the cycle of fear and became disoriented. Rosicky has come back, but Little Mozarts with artist’s feet was able to fill the weak of his partners? Wilshere is ready, but Jack London is synonymous with a flag leading shaky team through the night? On paper, Arsenal could totally end this season in position of Top 3, however, nobody knows when deep wounds cause feeling stinging pain, or when disaster strikes from a certain foot-slip again.

It is said that football only engraves the winner on historical wheel, and all teams play football towards trophies or goals in different ways. Arsenal has picked out a respective road. Sometimes acting desperately, making mistakes, sometimes giving, and always gaining full of loss.

Now, it is the time they have to change everything, or come back with plump no.0.

Now, it is the time that Gooners give them forgiveness, or turn back on the 8-years-trust.

Now, it is the time that Wenger is willing to abandon his conservative mind to help his team respond to critics by the hurricane on the pitch, or stand down as a loser.

The time has come for the true hearts of The Gunners, for standing side by side, strongly, and courageously facing the last fights, for songs singing together.

...as a persistent message despite pain: Together, forever…

---