Arsenal send important messages with Slavia Prague win

In the lead up to the second leg of the quarter-final matchup between Slavia Prague and Arsenal, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta refused to even discuss the idea that his team might be without European football next season. After his team dismantled the Czech side on their home pitch, something that hadn’t been done for 18 months, Arteta has a reprieve from answering anymore questions of that nature until the Villarreal second leg.

This 4-0 thumping (5-1 on aggregate) was masterful, from start to finish, as Rangers boss Steven Gerard even commented. The Gunners looked honed in and aggressive, offensive and passionate in their teamwork.

This was evident from before the game began, when those players on Slavia Prague chose not to take the knee with their visitors, despite having been involved in a racial incident with Gerrard’s Rangers at the end of the last round of competition.

The picture of Alexandre Lacazette staring into the oppositions starting squad itself is a picture worth more words than I can meaningfully put into this piece, and it was more powerful than even the performance afterwards might indicate.

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Arsenal send important messages with Slavia Prague both football and non-football related

He and the entire squad took the draw in the first leg personally and clearly took the behavior of the squad personally too; they played with a chip on their shoulder that transcends football. It is a function of being human and loving your fellow as though they were your brother, sister, father, mother, etc.

As was said in a recent article, both Slavia and racism were in fact, kicked out of the tournament with Arsenal’s victory; it is a battle that can only be fought with constant, eternal vigilance, education, empathy and compassion. Football is a vehicle by which we can understand our common similarities, and celebrate and share our broad, remarkable differences; only by standing up to hatred can we properly honor the game, but more importantly, one another.

This game was a message, many messages in fact. They were sent to everyone watching across the world and some received a few different ones depending on locality.

Such is life, and such is football.

Such is Life, Such is Football and Arsenal Have to Take Their Chances

Arsenal demonstrated courage to stand up for themselves, and what they believe in. They were correct to stand for love for all and against any tolerance for hate or racism. This message was sent everywhere the game was seen or heard, so long as there were people there to hear it. Yet England and Europe received additional messages; the Gunners won’t be down forever, so you’d better enjoy it while it lasts.

Arsenal, despite my declaration to the contrary, are still technically able to qualify for Europe next season without winning the Europa League final this season. While the loss to Liverpool was massive, it has not extinguished entirely their ambitions or dreams, and with Fulham up on Sunday, three points are as necessary as they were last week against Sheffield United.

This victory sends the message to the players on the club, as well as the other clubs back in England, that Arsenal are charging. And while it won’t always work in every match, they will not ever be a team that goes down without clawing as best it can in the mean time.

They also send a message to Europe, to Villarreal, and to their old boss, Unai Emery. This message is similar to the additional one England received. Arsenal will not be an easy out for Villarreal, or the King of the Europa League. If they can find the groove they had in the last match against Prague, Villarreal might also come to find that Arsenal are improving by the match at the best possible moment.

Players like Alexandre Lacazette, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey are looking positive and accountable, and it shows. Even without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out with malaria contracted on national duty, and Martin Odegaard also out, the team looked very comfortable and fluid with one another, and that must carry back into the Premier League too.

Yet in Europe, Arsenal again appear so close to grabbing European glory. Emery himself brought them there just two seasons prior when he and the Gunners lost to Chelsea. That loss likely hastened his departure, as the upper administration did not back him as it has backed Mikel Arteta, who has brought home two domestic trophies in his young tenure.

This semifinal match-up therefore is good revenge for either team, regardless of which side you’re looking on. Can Emery show Arsenal that they made a mistake by dropping him? Can Arsenal demonstrate that they made the correct decision, at least judged in this one dimensional way, regarding their coaching staff? It is juicy and full of intrigue, and would be a boon for either side as they attempt to qualify for Europe.

With the season winding down in all competitions, the Gunners must stack positive performances on top of one another. They must defeat Fulham, do their best against Everton, the other team I cover, before facing Villarreal in the first leg at the end of April.

Keeping the positive momentum is key, and Arsenal have the ability and talent to do it. Whether they will is a matter of execution, resolve and temperament; it remains to be seen, and that remains just hours away at this juncture.

While they will look to send a message against Fulham, the message they’ve sent the whole world continues to ring out across the landscape, and it remains up to all of us to act on these feelings of mutual love and respect every single day, in every single way, no matter how large or small. We can always be better and we can always be proud of that.