CHAPTER 687: BOTTLE JOB TALK

Fwee, Fwee, Fweeeeeeee.

"Well, they’ll be disappointed," the commentator said, a touch of weight in his tone — not heavy, not tragic, just true.

"You get the feeling Arteta and this Arsenal team would’ve wanted the full package tonight. Three points, momentum, another landmark for Izan, and the sweet afterglow of midweek silverware still burning behind them. But that’s not how football works, is it?"

The camera panned slowly across the pitch, catching flashes of breath in the cold North London air, studs dragging through the turf, shoulders slumped but not broken.

The final whistle had blown minutes ago, and while the result wasn’t a disaster, it wasn’t quite a celebration either.

"Everton just don’t go away. They didn’t when they played Liverpool either — forced them to dig deep, really deep, until Jota found a winner in the 76th minute. And here again, they’ve made Arsenal feel every blade of grass, every pass under pressure."

The sound of the Emirates was a soft murmur now — not anger, not even frustration, just a kind of collective breath held in pause.

Supporters stayed seated, scarves still looped around necks.

There was no rush to the exits. They still stood, proud of their team that was walking towards the tunnel now.

Izan had come off in the 77th minute, right after he threaded a perfectly weighted ball through two blue shirts to assist Gabriel Martinelli — his 20th assist of the season.

It had been the breakthrough Arsenal needed.

It had felt like the moment.

But football, again, had other ideas.

Now, wrapped in his puffed black team jacket with the red Arsenal crest stitched just over his heart, he walked calmly from the bench area toward the cluster of teammates gathered near the centre circle.

His hair was a bit damp from the drizzle that had started just after full-time, but he didn’t seem to notice it.

He clapped a few times — first for them, then to them — and was met with a ripple of return gestures.

Ødegaard gave him a pat on the chest before pulling him into a brief hug, while Gabriel slapped the back of his head playfully.

They weren’t devastated.

They were just... together.

"And that assist, by the way," the commentator went on, warming his voice as if he too had smiled at the sight of the young Spaniard among his brothers, "means Izan Miura Hernández becomes the youngest player in Premier League history to reach 20 assists in a single campaign and the third to do so. That puts him in some pretty ridiculous company — Thierry Henry. Kevin De Bruyne. Names you only whisper if you’re serious. And Izan? He’s not just serious. He’s doing it his way."

A camera cut showed Arteta with one hand on his chin, the other already shaking hands with Everton’s David Moyes.

Behind them, the coaching staff spoke quietly, likely already discussing rotations, recovery, and whatever tactical margin might’ve cost them the three points.

"Would he have loved the goal as well? Of course, he would. You know what he’s like. He’d want the assist, the goal, and the win all at once, gift-wrapped.

But tonight, he walks away with one of them. And that’s football — sometimes it gives, sometimes it holds back just enough to keep you hungry."

The camera found Izan again, now beside Raya and Tomiyasu.

They were walking toward the tunnel, the lights of the stadium still glowing behind them like a dome of unfinished dreams.

His expression wasn’t sulky.

r It was calm, maybe even a little amused — the kind of face you wear when you know there’s more to come. Because there always is.

He’d done his part, and then some.

Records were equalled.

The team had battled, and the season wasn’t done.

..........

After the game, the headlines came first—sharp, snide, and surgically aimed.

"Bottle Brewing? Arsenal’s Draw at Goodison Raises Familiar Questions."

"Arteta Pulls Izan, Pulls the Plug? Late Changes Cost Gunners."

"Cocky or Confident? Izan’s Comments Age Poorly After Everton Stalemate."

"From Control to Collapse – Why Did Arteta Sub Off His Core?"

It wasn’t just the football writers.

Pundits, radio callers, even the matchday vloggers had their say.

One match.

One stumble. And the whispers began again, clawing at the fragile edge of Arsenal’s title belief.

In the darker corners of forums and comment sections, fans clashed like rival ultras in a digital alley.

@TheGreatoneWN:"We were up. We were controlling the game. And then Arteta goes and takes off Izan, Rice, Saliba and Gabriel in the space of what, ten minutes? That’s not rotation, that’s roulette."

@RasmusRD: "You lot need to stop acting like this kid’s God. He played 70 minutes and talked like he was invincible. ’With me, we don’t fall off,’ he said. Next match? 1-1. Bottling’s already started."

@Pistacho031_3: "Bro, they were winning when he came off. Literally. Go rewatch the game. The midfield lost its shape the moment Rice and Izan were gone. You can’t blame the 17-year-old because the team folded without him."

@StayHumble-eh: "Like my ID says, he needs to stay humble. Great talent, yeah. But you don’t go mouthing off in interviews about how the team’s not collapsing like last season and then go draw the very next game."

Nameyelus@:"But was he wrong, though? They didn’t collapse with him on. We were dominant. He had Tarkowski on skates the whole first half."

@Neutrallad: "My only issue is: Arteta sent a weird message subbing that many key players. Felt like he was treating it like a cup game, not a title race."

Even among Arsenal supporters, the mood was fractured.

Some were furious, others philosophical, with the remaining few processing it quietly.

.....

Inside the studio, the red glow of the Premier Focus backdrop pulsed faintly behind the panellists as they leaned in over the desk, expressions serious.

This wasn’t a giddy post-match celebration.

There was no room for that now.

James Cooper, the host, adjusted the papers in front of him and exhaled softly before speaking.

"Well. Arsenal 1, Everton 1. The mood around North London has shifted again, hasn’t it?" he began.

"They led. Twice. And still... they leave with just a point. Not what you want heading into the Real Madrid tie."

Next to him, Rio Ferdinand gave a slow shake of the head before turning a bit towards the host, but just enough for the cameras to get a hold of him.

"It’s not the result that hurts," he said.

"It’s the context. This isn’t October. This is the run-in. Every point matters. And when you’re Arsenal, chasing silverware on multiple fronts, you can’t keep doing this."

Karen Carney nodded.

"It’s that word again. Control. When they have it, they’re brilliant. Almost unstoppable, but the moment it starts to slip, you see their mortal side, and you could see it tonight. That mortality."

"They’re young," Rio added.

"A lot of them are still learning. But football doesn’t care about that. Especially not at this stage of the season."

James turned slightly, glancing at the screen behind them where replays of the match cycled—goals, near misses, frustrated faces.

Then came the shot of Izan, crouched on the pitch, with his jersey clinging to his back after going down for a foul.

"He gave everything," James murmured.

Karen sat up.

"That kid? I don’t know how he’s human. The level of maturity—he was directing traffic out there. Demanding the ball, driving the team forward. You could feel the urgency in him. But he can’t do it all alone. And even if he could, he shouldn’t."

"He was their leader tonight, as usual. Others may have the armband, but Izan has the room." Rio added.

"Not Ødegaard. Not Declan. Him. That tells you something about what Arteta’s built. But it also raises the question: are they relying on him too much?"

"It’s dangerous, innit. One slip. One injury. And the whole system looks different. They’ve got talent, but it’s like the team only believes when he’s on the pitch. That can’t be healthy for a title challenge," James rubbed the bridge of his nose after Rio finished before he looked back down at his notes.

"The ’Bottle job’ talk is creeping in again. Fans don’t want to say it, but they feel it. The late collapse against Chelsea earlier this season, the dropped points at the London stadium, and now this. Liverpool won their game, so now it takes the 9-point gap to 7, and I know Liverpool will be turning on the jets now. They are out of all competitions, so they can fully focus on this one."

He paused, then tapped the desk once with his pen, as if to re-centre the room.

"And yet, there’s no time to dwell. Because Arsenal’s next match?" He looked directly into the camera.

"Isn’t against a team from Merseyside. It’s against Real Madrid. At the Emirates. Quarter-final. Champions League first leg with everything on the line because if they don’t get something at the Emirates, it will be very hard for them to go and take something from the Bernabeu."

A/N: Last of the previous day. Sorry for the late release. Have fun reading and I’ll see you in a bit with the first of the day.