Thomas Williamson
I must begin this article with an unequivocal declaration: I hate Chelsea as much as any Arsenal fan. I still feel a bit sick at the way they were able to barge in at the top because of Abramovich’s money which saved them from near extinction. I remember leaving the pub instantly when Drogba scored that penalty to win the European Cup, rather than watch them celebrate, and it will hurt me forever that they were able to reach that Holy Grail before us.
I remember cheering when Liverpool knocked them out in 2005 and 2007, and cheering on Manchester United of all teams in the 2007 title race. Their victory that year almost felt a bit moral to me at that time, as if the universe was correcting itself to prevent a team using money to turn the Premiership into a non-contest, with one team using its much higher spending power to romp home each year. Oh, how it is all coming back to me now: Terry, Lampard, Cashley, Drogba et al, winning trophy after trophy while we went through our nine-year drought. So, in almost any circumstance, I would be cheering on a team chasing down Chelsea in the title race, and who had been able to cut a 13 point lead to 4.
But here’s the thing. We are where we are, and between now and the end of the season, if Chelsea don’t end up winning the title then that will almost certainly mean that Spurs will have done so instead. Sure, the maths doesn’t really work and Chelsea have on paper an easier run in. But you just don’t know at this stage what could happen - no one thought Man City would win it after we beat them in April 2012.
Chelsea could yet bottle it and Spurs capitalise and claim the title, especially if Spurs win the semi-final at Wembley. And for me all that I have mentioned in the first paragraph goes out the window when I consider this possibility. It would be hailed by the media as a changing of the guard in North London and contrasted explicitly with our upcoming Europa League campaign. We will hear endless statistics about their lower income and wage bill in comparison to ours and how they have done it the “right” way with young English players, and how Pochettino is a transformative genius in the same vein as early Wenger.
Don’t get me wrong, if any other team were in Spurs' position and form I would be right behind them - but they aren’t. So, given this option between a louse and a flea, I know which option I choose every time.
