As a man of a certain age, I am a participant in a WhatsApp group with other men of a certain age. The dialogue on this thread is predominantly an alienating arcana of in-jokes but, due to the over-representation of Arsenal fans in its demographic, interest has switched, of late, to the new Prime Video documentary series, All or Nothing: Arsenal. Previous acclaimed seasons have followed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City marching to the league title, and the game’s most blockbuster manager, Jose Mourinho, arriving at Tottenham Hotspur. Now it’s the turn of their north London rivals, Arsenal, to muster some footballing magic for Amazon. Perhaps Jeff Bezos was thinking of the 2003/04 psychodrama of the Invincibles when he inked this deal, dreaming that Arsenal could somehow achieve another unbeaten season, starting with a nice, easy fixture at newly-promoted Brentford. What could go wrong?
“Ffs why did they choose that season?” one friend wrote, when the trailer, showing Arsenal’s 2021/22 season, was released. “All or nothing?” replied a Spurs fan. “Spoiler alert: it was nothing.” The series shadows the season from pitch level, with an amount of access that would make a Kardashian blush. From the training ground to the penalty box, via the cryotherapy suite and dressing room, “for the first time in their history, Arsenal have allowed cameras behind the scenes” (as Daniel Kaluuya’s voiceover announces). This should be enough to set spines tingling across north London, but does the drama of an indifferent season (in which Arsenal finished fifth in the league and were knocked out of the FA Cup at the earliest opportunity) translate to non-Gunners? Or, more importantly, to those without an interest in football or even sports?
