That thrilling, last-gasp win against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park has Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber completely buzzing about his team’s chances for the Premier League title this season.
It looked like the same old story for the Gunners, who were staring down the barrel of a fourth straight defeat on Tyneside after Nick Woltemade put the home side up 1-0 before the break. But the team refused to fold.
Mikel Merino leveled the score in the 84th minute, and then Gabriel came up with a massive winner, heading in a Martin Odegaard corner six minutes into stoppage time to seal a sensational 2-1 comeback.
The victory closed the gap to league leaders Liverpool, and Timber was quick to emphasize the unwavering belief coursing through the squad. “The belief is there. I think we showed that. The character from this team is amazing and I will never doubt that. Hopefully we can keep going like this,” he stated.
The Dutch international admitted that Arsenal’s opening run of games had been a serious test, featuring tough battles with Liverpool and Manchester City, plus difficult away days to Newcastle and Manchester United.
“The season is so long. When you look at the schedule, it looks like a tough beginning, it was a tough beginning but it does not look like it will be easy now,” Timber added.
To keep their title dream alive, he stressed that the team needs to be relentlessly consistent. “If you want to win the Premier League, you know it’s going to be a long season. You have to stay close at the top and not just close for this week. Next week it’s the same thing, and we have to keep going.”
Timber feels the Newcastle result could be the moment that truly ignites their season. “Hopefully this will give us a lot of strength. I can tell you that the energy in the dressing room afterwards was amazing.
It’s also because you know it will be tough, going behind, coming in at halftime 1-0 down, it’s going to be even tougher. But you never know before a game or a season when you are going to have tough situations.”
He acknowledged just how hard it is to play at St. James’ Park, admitting Arsenal have a history of struggling there. “Since I’ve been at Arsenal, I don’t think we’ve ever won at Newcastle. It’s really difficult and yet we never panicked.”
Rather than looking back, Timber is focused squarely on the present. “I find it hard to compare seasons, last season was different, different players, different moments, different momentum. I’m just so happy that we did it.”
Up next for Arsenal is a Champions League match against Olympiacos followed by a Premier League clash with West Ham. The team will be desperate to keep this momentum rolling as they continue their push for their first league title in over twenty years.
