William Saliba just told his Arsenal teammates to do one thing: die on the pitch. Proper brutal. No messing about.
The French centre back has watched a nine point lead evaporate into thin air. Back to back defeats against Bournemouth and Manchester City have left the Gunners trailing Pep Guardiola’s side on goal difference alone. Five weeks left. Nail biting stuff.
And Saliba? He’s had enough of finishing second.
“I think we need to be calm,” he said on the club’s official website. “We need to die on the pitch as well, because it’s now. Now we have to go, and we need everyone: the supporters, the team, the staff, everyone, because we have to do it now. After that, it’s too late.”
Too late indeed. Arsenal haven’t won the league since 2004. That’s 22 years of hurt. Saliba’s been at the Emirates for four seasons and has finished runner up in every single one of them. You can feel the frustration dripping off every word.
“When the season is finished, it’s too late; you have to start the next season. It’s now. You have to give everything and die on the pitch.”
No pressure then.
The numbers don’t lie. Arsenal have lost four of their last six in all competitions. April has historically been a nightmare month under Mikel Arteta. And now here comes Newcastle at the Emirates, a side winless in their last 13 away trips to North London. But form counts for nothing when your nerve is shot.
Saliba knows what’s at stake. He’s dreaming about the trophy. Literally.
“When you’re close to achieving your dreams, sometimes when you sleep, you think about that,” he admitted. “We have the Champions League, Premier League, so of course you cannot think about something else.”
That’s the thing about chasing something for so long. It gets inside your head.
“We haven’t won the Premier League since 2004. It’s been a while. It means a lot for us and for me personally. I’ve been here for four years and I’ve always finished second. If we change that this season, it will be a massive success for us and for me. I’m sure we will do that.”
‘I’m sure we will do that.’ That’s the kind of talk fans want to hear. But talk is cheap now. Saturday against Newcastle is where the real test begins. Five games left. A sprint to the finish. And Manchester City don’t blink.
Arteta’s side have to find their defensive rock again. Saliba is asking for blood, sweat and quite literally death on the pitch. Anything less and that nine point lead will feel like a ghost haunting them all summer.
Pressure? Saliba says bring it on.
“We have good pressure with us because when you play football, you want to play these kinds of games. We’re ready for that.”
We’ll find out Saturday. No excuses left. Time to die on that grass, lads.
