Mikel Arteta’s words hold the secret to Arsenal’s Spanish Armada-inspired TiFo, which oversaw the Gunners’ progress past Atletico Madrid to the UEFA Champions League final
Arsenal created one of the best atmospheres that the Emirates Stadium has ever seen. The supporters came together in their droves, got to the ground early and helped to create a spectacle unique since the move in 2006 from Highbury.
TiFos have been a point of contention at the club, and last season’s attempt in the semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain almost set the tone for what would be an underwhelming defeat in both legs. Limply held aloft, a stock image of the Arsenal cannon on a red plain background became the meme of social media that month.
The fan groups and supporters behind the new designs, however, have worked extremely hard to transform both the designs and subsequently the impact that they have, while working in consultation with the club throughout the process football.london understands. From the North London Derby’s ode to the ‘North London Forever’ anthem, the clash with Chelsea sporting a ‘You’ve Only Come To See The Arsenal’ banner and more recently in the League Cup final at Wembley, ‘Arsenal, Kings of London.’
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
All have had a big impact and boosted the noise inside the grounds. Against Sporting CP, the most recent example before Tuesday night’s, had Leandro Trossard’s binoculars celebration with the tagline ‘History in our sights!’
Arsenal have now made history by reaching the Champions League final. To do so, they overcame Atletico Madrid with the help of their fans and a new TiFo, erected in the East Stand with a brand-new design.
The famous chant ‘We all follow the Arsenal’ with the words that follow, which featured on the design, ‘Over land and sea!’ (And Leicester! But that understandably wasn’t included.)
The design featured 11 classic ships with a subtle nod to the Spanish Armada, with an Arsenal-themed red and white design with the Arsenal crest across its sails. The ten Galleons were all in a red and black design, each with the badge of the ten sides Arsenal had beaten to reach the semi-final.
Find the best flight and Budapest hotel deals with Booking.com
Various Prices
Booking.com
Book here
Arsenal have booked their place in the Champions League final and fans can support the team in Budapest with a flight and hotel deal from Booking.com.
Arsenal have overcome plenty since the turn of the year and gone through some real challenges. The defeat against Manchester United at the Emirates sparked one of Mikel Arteta’s best speeches, which included a message with a secret link to the TiFo that would be held aloft on the greatest night, so far, of the Emirates era.
“We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we’re going to win it,” he said.
“And this is going to be the mindset and where we’re going to put the energy. And I’m just hoping that everybody that is related to this club, especially our supporters, jump on that boat because this is the way that we’re going to live the next four months because we deserve to live like this.”
Jump on that boat! Well, the fans certainly did, helping the team sail through to the finals of this competition for just the second time in their history.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
