Chris Towers
Some background: on the morning of Friday, 26 May 1989, shortly after 11 a.m, a convoy of 26 coaches rolled through the sunny streets of Highbury, bound for Merseyside. Residents in the council estates hung over their balconies waving flags. Schoolchildren in their playgrounds jumped and cheered, while the odd pedestrian in the street did the same. But in case they didn’t know it already, everybody and everything else was keen to tell the Arsenal fans on board that they were wasting their time.
In true Patrice Evra style, Graeme Souness, then of Rangers, told The Sun it would be a contest of “men against boys”, while, in the accompanying column, each player head-to-head favoured Liverpool. John Saddler added “unless fate has a mischievous miracle up her sleeve, the title will be Liverpool’s at around 9.40pm tonight”, while Michael Hart in the Evening Standard declared defeat for the Gunners was “inevitable”.
The travelling supporters may have been hopeful, but really, they and all Gunners- fans knew just how unlikely it was that Arsenal would do what they needed to do. But the thing is, they weren’t wasting their time - they may have dreamt that something remarkable could happen that night, but they made the journey first and foremost to support their team. The match kicked off, and... well, we all know what happened.
Given what happened 23 years ago, if any fans should believe in ‘never say never’, it’s Arsenal fans. Anfield ’89 was a total one-off – but it served to show that nothing is impossible in football. Nothing. And there is no shortage of modern examples to pick from that reaffirm this.
How many of us believed, at half-time in the 2005 Champions League final, that Liverpool would eventually lift the trophy? Were Deportivo La Coruña’s fans expecting a semi-final berth after a 4-1 trashing at the San Siro in 2004? And who thought Arsenal could be so woefully self-destructive that they could go 4-0 up in 20 minutes at Newcastle, only to end up drawing 4-4 by the final whistle? Even by last season’s standards, that was something. There’s plenty more. All are extreme examples, yes – but they happened.
It won’t happen for us? I was ten months old when Arsenal won the league at Anfield, so I have no memory of it. I do believe, though, that in their supporting lifetime, everyone gets their own ‘Anfield ‘89’ moment.
This Arsenal team doesn’t have the required ability or bottle to pull off something like that? Three weeks ago it would be hard to disagree, and the shambles in Italy was swiftly followed by the soft, disheartening FA Cup exit at Sunderland. The 16 days since have told us there is considerable spirit in this Arsenal team – twice coming back from losing positions to earn consecutive victories over two big rivals for a Champions League spot.
We’re flying at the moment. We’ve scored twelve goals in our last two home matches. And when the players and fans join forces, amazing things happen. Look at the Barcelona game last season – we beat the greatest team in the world. A special, spine-tingling effort was made for the atmosphere that night, and one of the stars of the show, Jack Wilshere, was quick to pay tribute to the positive effect it had on the squad.
I’m aware of what we’re faced with, and the bleakness of the situation. I’m not saying we’re going through. We’re playing AC Milan, seven-times European Cup winners. The gulf in class in the first-leg was harrowing. They’re a new Milan. They’ve got an in-form Robinho, a top-class Thiago Silva and a vastly composed and experienced Mark Van Bommel. Kevin Prince-Boateng misses out with the latest in his string of minor injuries, but they thumped 8th-placed Palermo 4-0 on Saturday – Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a 14-minute first-half hattrick. And they’ve got a four-goal head start. If they score one, Arsenal will have to score six. No side has recovered from a four-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League knockout rounds.
But someone has to be the first to do it. Just as a certain club had to be the first English side ever to achieve victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, or AC Milan at the San Siro.
No club is unsusceptible to the momentum that can be gathered by a home side with nothing to lose. No club is totally immune to a nagging fear of precedent. Every club can be rumbled when faced with a confident, determined opponent ushered onwards by a rampant crowd. At Anfield, George Graham wanted the match goalless at half-time. This time, Mikel Arteta has his eyes on Arsenal being 2-0 up at the break. However it unfolds, I’ve got one plea: get to the ground in time, and support the Arsenal. Believe from the stands, and transmit that belief to the players. Let’s fight for a few goals, and see where it takes us. Let’s create noise inside the stadium reminiscent of the kind we achieved against Barcelona, and against Spurs a week ago, which was absolutely awesome. Let’s have a full stadium, for God’s sake. We’re probably watching our last Champions League game of the season. It could prove to be our last Champions League game for a few seasons. So if that’s the case, and we’re to go out, let’s give the Italians something to remember us for. If we’re to go out, let’s do it in style.
Everyone says we’re already out of Europe, with good reason. We almost are. I’ve made my peace with that. In that case, we just have to sing a few songs and enjoy the match. That’s the worst case scenario.
Or, it could end up being one of the greatest nights of our lives. Shall we give it a go?
