There are football fans who celebrate success, and then there are football fans who celebrate Arsenal not winning the Champions League as if it’s a trophy parade of their own.
This is the great contradiction of the 2025/26 season:
The Champions League is being contested at the highest level, actual silverware is being lifted, and yet the loudest reaction in certain corners is still, “Yes, but Arsenal didn’t win it.”
Incredible. A truly historic achievement. Somewhere, a DVD is being printed as we speak.
And let’s be honest, if Arsenal falling short in Europe is the emotional peak of your season, then your own campaign probably needs a careful audit.
Chelsea, for example, true to the traditions, got through 3 managers and spent £275 million assembling what was described as a “project,”
To what end? … finish 9th and watch the Champions League on television.
Over a quarter of a billion to host a very expensive ‘haters watch along’ party.
But yes, by all means, focus on Arsenal.
And Spurs… well, Spurs achieved something far rarer: consistency.
Seventeenth. Again. It takes real dedication to treat the relegation zone like a reserved parking space.
Spurs, to their credit, did set a Premier League record this season. The first team to have the same number of managers as home wins in one season.
But sure, Arsenal’s European disappointment is definitely the story here.
The Arsenal, of course, played their part. We flirted with the idea of actually winning the Champions League, which is always dangerous. We built belief, created momentum, and just when it started to feel serious, delivered the familiar twist. A wobble at the wrong time, a result that didn’t quite land, and suddenly the dream dissolves into “maybe next year” conversations.
But here’s the thing: Arsenal not winning the Champions League does not automatically upgrade your season into something meaningful.
It doesn’t turn 9th into progress.
It doesn’t turn 17th into strategy.
It doesn’t turn failure into success just because someone else also fell short of perfection.
And that’s the real comedy of it all.
Arsenal may fall short on the biggest stage, but we still dominate the emotional bandwidth of clubs who should be far more concerned with their own situation.
Imagine spending your entire season achieving very little, only to celebrate someone else not achieving everything.
So go on, celebrate it.
Replay the missed chances. Post the memes. Frame it as your moment.
But if Arsenal not lifting the Champions League is the headline of your season, then your season was already a joke, a punchline — Arsenal just happened to deliver it.
English by birth, Australian by choice. Traffic Engineer, Arsenal ST Holder, Sun DreamTeam Winner, Writer on @GunnersTown, Depeche Mode, Welcome to my world…
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