Football fans with weak hearts should read no further. The next few weeks are going to threaten corroded cardiac muscles around the world as Arsenal attempt to stay on course for the elusive Treble.
As the well-read will know, Arsenal were held 1-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. That gives them a slight edge in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday week, which will see a London side into the last four of the old European Cup for the first time ever.
But this Saturday Arsenal have got Manchester United at Highbury in the Premiership where they must attempt to extend their record-breaking unbeaten streak to 30 before going to Villa Park for the FA Cup semifinal against Fergie’s Failures a week later.
These three huge games would threaten the toughest of hearts; silverware lies tantalisingly around three corners. The only competition the Gunners aren’t still after is the Carling Cup and they got to the last four of that with their reserves.
Phenomenal. They are being called the team of the century (hold on, it’s only four years old!), as good as the all-conquering Leeds of the 1970s and Liverpool of the 1980s.
The loveable Claudio Ranieri, who will be out of a job later this year when Chelsea callously get rid of him, says: ‘Arsenal this season play in a different world. Hypothetically, they are the champions of England and maybe the Champions League.” The guy is just too nice.
And Arsenal have done all this despite a dodgy bank balance. Last year, while United snapped up Christiano Ronaldo, Tim Howard, Erik Djemba-Djemba and David Bellion and Chelsea just bought everyone they could find, Arsenal could only afford the ageing, temperamental German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to replace ageing, pony-tailed David Seaman.
I said back then that one injury to Thierry Henry would end Arsenal’s season. And, though they’ve now sorted the finances of the move to the new stadium at Ashburton Grove and brought striker Jose Antonio Reyes over from Spain for about £16-million, I stand by that verdict all those months ago.
Henry is the magic of this Arsenal side. There are others worth talking about: Patrick Vieira is the glue, Sol Campbell the rock, Ashely Cole the flea, Koulo Toure the most improved player in the League and Freddie Ljungberg the least. But all clubs have those.
Not all teams have Henry, the master craftsman. Like those bloody hobbits trying to destroy the ring without Gandalf, Arsenal would be nothing without Henry’s saucy sorcery.
And what worries me, as Arsenal enter this decisive phase of death-or-glory competition at the highest level of the game, is that Henry will crack under the strain, physically or (whisper it) mentally. Can any man cope with such pressures?
I think United will smuggle a point out of Highbury on Sunday, but they’ll win the FA Cup semifinal at Villa Park a week later, leaving Arsenal to win the League — and fall in the semifinals of the European Cup against Real Madrid’s galacticos.
One out of three will have to do.
But what of the Premiership’s more ordinary mortals? The teams who operate below the peak, in the shadows of the top three?
Newcastle go to Bolton on Sunday determined to stay up among the contenders for that lucrative fourth Champions League place but Bobby Robson’s side have been bothered all week by reports of wild Welsh striker Craig Bellamy throwing chairs at coach John Carver. It’s true, Bellamy can start an argument in an empty room. Sounds like fun.
Liverpool, currently favourites for fourth, go to leaky Leicester, who grabbed a point off Everton last week. Liverpool look to have the easier task.
Charlton, the unfashionable sarf London side we all love to see do well, need to beat visiting Aston Villa to stay in the hunt, but Villa themselves are now contenders as David O’Leary works his magic at the club. Mind you, they did lose 2-0 at home to Blackburn last week.
Blackburn have got Portsmouth, fresh from their shock south coast derby win over Southampton last week. But I think Blackburn will make a strong finish, Pompey are going down with Leeds and Wolves.
Leeds go to Birmingham looking for hope and charity. I can’t see it.
Everton’s trip to Middlesbrough will hardly ruffle the snoozepapers, they’re both boringly mid-table but Boro fans will tell you they scored an unprecedented five against Birmingham last week, so it may be they’ve decided to entertain.
Manchester City, shocked by Leeds during the week, are becoming desperate.
Kevin Keegan’s ranting at the ref last week shows that. They’ve got Fulham and need to win or they could find themselves in serious trouble.
The game of the weekend? Wolves go to Chelsea. The Blues will be tired and emotional after that draw with Arsenal in the week. Their focus will be on Europe, not a bunch of journeymen from the midlands. Expect a shock.
Oh, and for our Scottish friends, that barbaric clash of sects, Rangers versus Celtic, takes place on Sunday. But that battle was over by Christmas, won by the little green men. This Old Firm game is meaningless to all but bigots.