A photograph published by Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arsenal’s left-back, on the social network Instagram left Gunners fans intrigued.
In the image, the team poses for a photograph in the locker room of Craven Cottage, Fulham’s stadium, after a 3-0 victory, the day before yesterday, which allowed them to maintain the five points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. In close-up is a replica of the famous watch that stood at Highbury Stadium for over 70 years and survived the move to the Emirates in 2010 – the original was installed outside the new stadium and a larger replica was placed in one of the benches, which was named Clock End, or Top of the Clock.
But how did the clock end up in the changing room visiting Fulham’s stadium? According to the newspaper Daily Mail, is one of several objects that Arsenal have started to take to away games to make the dressing room more welcoming, more similar to what they have at home; in the photo, you can also see stickers with the Arsenal crest pasted on the walls and a huge picture of the team lined up.
For that or another reason – last month coach Mikel Arteta said it was because of the quality of football… -, Arsenal, Sporting’s opponent in the Europa League, is having the best performance of any Premier League club away from home (seven points more than Manchester City and 14 more than United).
The oddity with the appearance of the clock in the locker room did not end there – many supporters also saw significance in the position of the hands, with the prevailing theory defending that it should be read eleven two (eleven dois), or eleven to go, a reference to the eleven days left to finish the Premier League and Arsenal to win a title that has eluded them since 2004.