The Arsenal fans groaned. Mikel Arteta turned to the stands and asked for calm.
It was a small moment against Bournemouth on April 11, but one that spoke to a much bigger problem which has emerged at the Emirates this season – a growing disconnect between a title-chasing team and its own supporters.
One of Arteta’s quieter but persistent missions across his Arsenal tenure has been to turn the Emirates into a place where his side feel the full force of home advantage. The logic is simple. A louder, more unified crowd functions as an extra player in tight moments. In practice, however, this season has highlighted how fragile that relationship can be.
It was the 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth where frustration spilled over fully. Multiple unforced errors were made in an awful display from back to front, start to finish. There was even time-wasting on throw-ins.
Momentum had collapsed, the chance to go 12 points clear at the top squandered, and boos rang out at full time. It was one of the clearest expressions yet of a detachment between fanbase and players.
In fact, boos and audible frustration, as early as in the first half, have been a feature in this campaign – and one noticed by the players. It’s understood that members of the Arsenal dressing room have privately mentioned the groans from the crowd.
The Arsenal fans show their frustration during their side’s crucial loss to Bournemouth
Arsenal defender Gabriel beats the turf after a chance goes begging during the defeat
On the surface, it feels peculiar. After all, the Gunners were leading the Premier League table by nine points, and top of the Champions League. They are still fighting for both trophies.
The noise has not gone unnoticed by Arteta either. Rather than letting atmosphere build organically, the Spaniard has increasingly tried to influence it directly. In January, he implored fans to ‘jump on the fun boat’ having been beaten 3-2 by Manchester United. And then, most recently, he cried ‘bring your lunch, bring your dinner… get there early’ before that loss to Bournemouth.
Amid this backdrop, further symbolic efforts have been made to reconnect club identity and support. From earlier this year, the first team’s pre-match anthem, Louis Dunford’s The Angel (North London Forever), has been played before Arsenal Under 21s games. It’s a gesture aimed at reinforcing unity across all levels of the club.
It’s a thorny issue. Arsenal supporters are both agitated and starved. Agitated by the lack of bite in the final third when in attacking positions, their finger-pointing to implore players to pass the ball forward a common sight this season.
And starved by a six-year wait for silverware while seeing those around them succeed; even Tottenham have managed a European trophy in that period. It stings, it hurts, and it’s a drought which has not been helped by three successive runner-up finishes in the league. So you can understand why anxiety is so heightened.
The first signs of nerves emerged on December 13, during a late, scrappy win over Wolves, sealed by a stoppage-time own goal, Gabriel Jesus’ header going in off Yerson Mosquera. It was a victory, but not a convincing one – and the tension lingered.
The first real flashpoint came on January 25, in defeat by United. Even with Arsenal chasing a Quadruple, a feat many tipped them to be on course for, boos were heard for the first time in earnest. From there, the tone hardened.
By March, during a 2-1 win over Chelsea, there were audible groans in parts of the stadium despite two set-piece goals swinging the match their way. The reaction underlined a growing impatience with performances rather than results alone. Then came the Bournemouth loss.
Mikel Arteta has implored the Arsenal fans to get behind the team, pointing out the huge difference they can make to the players
Boos rang out at the Emirates after the defeat to Manchester United earlier in the season
With Arsenal now the hunters not the hunted, will the mood at the Emirates change?
If the Gunners are to seize a first title in 22 years, the vibe at the Emirates must change – starting with Newcastle at home on Saturday. With Manchester City now top of the table for the first time since August and level on goal difference with Arsenal, the stakes could not be higher.
The roles have switched. There is an overriding feeling around the club that the temperature at the Emirates will now be calmer, as the hunted have become the hunters. The optics are markedly different. Arsenal are no longer favourites to win the title, so it’s a different kind of pressure. That could well galvanise fans and players alike. How Arteta addresses the supporters in his Friday press conference will be intriguing.
A motivating factor behind his hyperbolic attempts to get the fans on board is influenced by the impact the home crowd’s reactions can have on his team. He gave an inside glimpse of this after Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Tottenham in November, a game in which the fans fervently supported the team from the start.
Arteta said: ‘I think it was excellent, and it makes such a difference. The players were talking about it, I hope our supporters realise what they bring, the joy, the confidence, the energy to the players, and we have to maintain and improve that constantly because it is a massive superpower that we have.’
Yet, unity cannot be manufactured – it has to be earned on the pitch, mixed with patience from the stands in a crunch title run-in which will truly test them both.
It’s simple: Arsenal need their fans more than ever.