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"Why is it so silent in here?" U.S. men's national team captain Tyler Adams recalled thinking to himself during Bournemouth's Premier League win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Adams entered the match as a substitute for the final 20 minutes of the top-flight encounter earlier this month with the score level at 1–1. Having been knocked out of both the Carabao and FA Cup in back-to-back fixtures, the north London crowd was visibly anxious about a Premier League stumble just as Manchester City were hitting their stride. Adams and his Bournemouth teammates channeled that nervous tension to their own benefit.
"At certain points during the match I could hear our supporters celebrating or cheering and I thought: 'Why is it so silent in here?'" Adams said during an appearance on the Men in Blazers podcast.
For years, Arsenal had been saddled with the reputation of a noticeably subdued fanbase. The club's former Highbury ground was dubbed "the Library" by rival supporters, and that label followed them to the Emirates, even without a convenient nickname to match.
Mikel Arteta has undertaken the careful process of improving the matchday atmosphere during his time in charge. There has been some progress, but the anxiety of yet another potentially disappointing title challenge appears to have overwhelmed this long-suffering crowd. Ahead of that lunchtime kickoff against Bournemouth, Arteta urged fans to "have an early breakfast, bring your lunch [and] bring your dinner." Perhaps their mouths were too full to cheer.
"They're trying to chase a title, we're trying to chase potentially finishing in a European position, but it feels like we're playing for a little bit more in the circumstances," Adams pointedly reflected. "I think it can be really difficult when you're in an environment like that."
Adams: Arsenal Fans Hurting the Team
"We told ourselves before the game we had to put ourselves in their shoes," Adams explained. "They have a whole lot to play for. We have a lot to play for but it's a different circumstance when you're chasing a title.
"We knew it was probably going to be a little bit nervy, and if one thing goes wrong, and the fans start getting a little bit anxious, I think we played into that occasion."
From the very first exchanges of Bournemouth's visit, the unease within the stands was plain to see. Every throw-in Ben White took was deemed too slow, each backward pass drew groans and every forward surge from the visitors prompted collective sharp intakes of breath. Yet, as Adams noted, Arsenal's players were operating under the same restraint. Eventually, they succumbed to the atmosphere.
"You could tell early on, when they were trying to play out from the back, that there was a sense of nervousness," the USMNT captain explained. "The thing was, the team was playing well. Arsenal in the first five, 10 minutes played some of the best football they did in that game, and you saw they were confident.
"But it just takes one small error, one little mistake, and the fans get a little bit nervy. That's a tough atmosphere to play in and thrive in when you're trying to chase a championship. Because we talk about them like they're not sitting first in the table still.
"As an opposition it's the best thing to hear. When you're playing an away game and all of a sudden it feels like the momentum is shifting and it feels like a home game."
Bournemouth grabbed a 17th-minute lead which only deepened the Emirates' misery. Even when Viktor Gyǒkeres leveled from the penalty spot, the anxiety lingered, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy when Alex Scott ultimately snatched the winner from an error Arsenal made while playing out from the back.
Three of the Gunners' final five Premier League fixtures are at home, including their next two. Under normal conditions, this would represent a clear advantage. But if the crowd continues to have such an obviously negative effect that even the opposition take notice, it promises to be a painful end to the season.