Drama is nothing new to those who pound the streets of London, although much of that has tended to unfold in the fictional world of Walford to the east, rather than around Ashburton Grove in the north.
That is not to say that regular visitors to Emirates Stadium are averse to the odd cliffhanger, with there plenty of barely believable storylines to be found in football circles that help to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
In the present, Arsenal find themselves working without a script and are doing their best to improvise and ad lib as they go along. Lofty targets remain there to be hit, but there are no guarantees to be found as the sands of time slip away.
As it stands, everything is building towards a thrilling season finale. On the last day of the current campaign, the Gunners are due to play host to Everton, a side that Premier League relegation odds 2021/22 have at 3/1 to take a tumble through a top-flight trapdoor.
The race for top four is going down to the wire 👀 pic.twitter.com/LCBu0pRjf0
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 3, 2022
With the Toffees toiling towards the wrong end of the division, with anxious glances being shot over collective shoulders there, it could be that plenty is put on the line alongside the standard three points when Mikel Arteta welcomes his former club to the capital on May 22.
All to play for
While Everton will be hoping to have laid the threat of playing Championship football to rest long before they head to N7, Arsenal’s sights will be locked on securing tickets to a Champions League party.
After spending five years on the outside of Europe’s most exclusive club, the plan is to make it beyond continental bouncers once again and gain entry to a star-studded VIP lounge. For long periods, it appeared as though said steps would be taken with a confident strut.
English football is notoriously difficult to predict and navigate, though, and there was always going to be a stumble at some stage which threatened to present an opportunity for others to jump the queue.
Arteta’s men have wobbled slightly, but they remain on their feet with a finishing post beginning to edge into view. If they can get across that line while avoiding any more hiccups, then spoils aplenty are there for the taking.
Working hard with a smile 😊
📍 London Colney pic.twitter.com/l0RqUMYEYW
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 8, 2022
Delivering on hope and expectation is, however, rarely straightforward and it would be wise to expect more twists and turns before a curtain comes down. The Premier League is famed for its subplots, at both ends of the table, and just about anything can happen in the space of any given week.
It is that which keeps a global fan base coming back for more as millions of spectators from across the planet joyously and unashamedly binge-watch the most intriguing of sporting spectacles to their heart’s content.
Arsenal, and potentially Everton, find themselves filling the roles of leading characters as we head towards the climax of another gripping series of Premier League action in 2022. No conclusion has been written as yet, unlike in EastEnders, and it remains to be seen whether tears of ecstasy or agony will be shed when ‘doof, doofs’ play out at the Emirates.