What Arsenal have done this season is already remarkable, even if signs of fatigue are already starting to show
Titles races often hinge on single moments – or at least our memories of them, the narratives we construct to process them, do. Stan Cullis’s non-tackle, Ray Tinkler’s idiosyncratic interpretation of offside, Steve Bruce’s header, Newcastle’s 4-3 defeat at Anfield, Sergio Agüero’s finish, Riyad Mahrez skipping by Nicolás Otamendi – far more uplifting to remember the moments of brilliance and infamy, to isolate heroes and villains, than to consider the grand sweeps of economic determinism. Gossip and goals tend to be more fun than Marxist analyses.
Manchester City will almost certainly win the Premier League and they will do so because of the collection of great players gathered under a great coach, all funded by Abu Dhabi as part of the wider geopolitical strategy of the oil-and-gas-rich Gulf states. Or, if you prefer your history more event-driven, it may be that the key moment of this campaign has already happened.
