During the era of Arsene Wenger exceptionalism, Arsenal’s supporters had a disdainful chant for all of those who failed to follow the purity of their methods. It wasn’t as much a chant as the dismissive swat in the direction of an annoying fly.
“Hoof!” they would roar when an opponent sent a ball long towards their defence. “Hoof!” they would shout, like a scion mocking the hired help on a frat boy weekend, when the opposition found that there was no way to beat Arsenal. “Hoof” rang in the opposition’s ears as Arsenal cruised by. They were the elite, they were the bluebloods and they had the power.
But something has been happening to the elites, in the world and in English football. When Arsenal played Leicester City last month, some at the Emirates might have been still chanting ‘Hoof!’, but the dismissive roar had mutated into an agonising howl. The supporters shrieked as Leicester tried to physically impose themselves on Wenger’s side. The Arsenal fans had a grievance but they may also have feared what was coming next.
On that day, they had little to fear. Arsenal beat the league leaders, but Leicester have not been beaten since. This is an incredible story, of course, but if their emergence as title contenders has been a shock, it has been almost as startling that they look like winning without a challenge from any of England’s big clubs. Possibly from anyone.
On Sunday, Manchester City’s title hopes ended when they were beaten by Manchester United. City have been held up as the poster boys for the super-rich. They have invested heavily in their academy, they have spent millions rejuvenating inner-city Manchester and they secured Pep Guardiola as manager for next season, which was undoubtedly a coup. But it turns out that City were only poster boys if Manchester United were the example of how not to do it.
Neither seemed prepared for the disruptive force that is Leicester City. On the field, Leicester are everything the big clubs are not. They are lean and driven, they pick the same team each week and they believe that hard work will be enough.
They have a basic philosophy but crucially they all seem to share it. When Nigel Pearson was sacked in the summer, his backroom staff remained. Some managers work with a large entourage of assistants but Ranieri was happy to be the figurehead while below him there was continuity. Intelligent management is often about doing nothing as much as it is about taking action.
The big clubs, in contrast, must deal with many competing philosophies, many big ideas and a lot of little empires. City have an executive designed to work with Pep, but a team which looks as if it has been assembled specifically to challenge him, as if he is an escapologist in need of an even greater challenge, one which will push him to the limits of his powers.
Of course, post Ferguson, United have no direction.
They have embraced a sacking culture so Louis Van Gaal will be dismissed in the summer, but the problems are greater than one man who couldn’t even redeem himself with a comedy pratfall at the feet of Mike Dean.
Meanwhile, in the Old Trafford Book Depository… pic.twitter.com/B4u9nGdNsN
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 28, 2016
Jurgen Klopp works with a team assembled previously by Brendan Rodgers and a transfer committee who seemed to be united only in their ability to disagree.
Chelsea had a plan but when they reappointed Jose Mourinho, Roman Abramovich appeared to abandon his hopes of creating a team that Guardiola could love. Mourinho brought success but he swiftly brought narcissistic self-implosion too, a potent cocktail he might soon impose on Manchester United, and in record time.
Last weekend, the dissatisfaction spread. Alan Pardew devoted his programme notes before the league leaders played at Crystal Palace to a low-level moan about how things had broken for Claudio Ranieri’s side and not for his team. Leicester had been awarded more penalties than any other side while Palace, unlike their opponents, had lost key players for long periods.
This might be the angriest, most bitter manager comments in a matchday programme I've ever read: pic.twitter.com/FiR9CKFNZ5
— Sachin Nakrani (@SachinNakrani) March 19, 2016
Before Palace played at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, Pardew walked through the press room at Chelsea, working the room and glowing as only Pards can from the shine that comes from being immensely self-satisfied.
At the time, they were talking about him as the next England manager, a title which can be lethal – as Aidy Boothroyd knows well. Palace are now in a relegation battle while Leicester, their inferiors, coast to a title.
But it is the big clubs who are shamed most by Leicester. Spurs might yet catch them, but those who were mentioned as title winners at the start of the season have failed.
On Saturday, Arsenal won in the league for the first time since they overcame Leicester in the last minute. Wenger again praised the mental attitude of his side, talked up the character of his players and said all the things he has always said while the masses are storming through the gates.
Wenger wondered why people were talking about a two-horse race when on Saturday his side were only three points behind Spurs in second place, but he also wanted to know why questions were asked about the mental attitude of his side when mental attitude brings them down time after time.
There are plenty of permutations which could see Arsenal win the title, but the only way they could be guaranteed to do it is if hope has soured to despair and then, freed from all expectation, they stumbled towards the line and emerge victorious without really knowing how it happened.
The reality will probably be different. Arsenal are likely to be the only one of the big five clubs who will start next season with the same manager who began this campaign.
Like America, they are a nation at war with itself with the incumbent assailed by a cunning populist whose message resonates with the disaffected, while those on either side of the debate argue and fight.
Leicester may yet stumble terribly, but they won’t be caught by those who considered themselves born to rule but who appear right now to be bloated and doomed.
