Arsenal bids farewell to 'bottler' label and Pep Guardiola with Premier League title forged in response to both

Not only have soccer fans heard the word surrounding Arsenal by now, they’ve surely heard it hundreds of times. “Bottle. ” As in, to fumble away a golden opportunity through your own incompetence.

“Choke” being the closest analog in American sports parlance. The Gunners finished second the past three seasons in a row, allowing Manchester City to hunt them down the first two and then floundering as Liverpool took the crown many expected to be theirs last season. It almost became intrinsic to Arsenal, in the minds of soccer fans and media and maybe even players themselves, this idea that what bottlecapped Mikel Arteta’s project was not down to talent or resources, but to mentality and weakness in the most pressure-packed of moments.

Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament It sure seemed headed that way again in late April when Arsenal lost at City, failing to win for a fifth time in six games across all competitions. City erased a nine-point gap in the table on Arsenal in just over a month. The Gunners were bottling it again.

Midfielder Declan Rice, arguably Arsenal’s best player, was glimpsed moments after the loss telling teammates “it’s not done. ” At the time, it seemed like he was trying to convince himself the inevitable wouldn’t happen. As of Tuesday, it proved prophetic.