It is a wonderful photo that adorns the Manchester City room. King George V of England greeting each of the City football players before the final of the English Cup (FA Cup) in 1934, accompanied by Sam Cowan, 'city' captain, who is telling them the names of each of their teammates. Being the most popular competition, a true jewel of the crown, it was customary for the British monarch to attend the final at Wembley and present the trophy to the winner. The English Cup final is not just a football match, but also a tradition of a century and a half.

The closure of a competition in which 735 teams participate and which usually pits giants like Liverpool or United against modest clubs from the 5th division. It has an integrating character and the epic plays in each phase. Turning a totem can be a milestone in the life of a small team. Even from a small town. It is always uplifting to enjoy English football, the football generosity of going in search of victory - everyone -, but especially its aesthetic value and moral cleanliness. Nobody runs with the commissioner's horse, everyone is equal. For the judges, Charlton Athletic and Liverpool are the same. And if we also talk about the final of the FA Cup, the oldest tournament in this sport in the world (started in 1871), the appointment is unmissable for the universal football consumers. Wherever they are. No one is indifferent to the charm of the Premier League.

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With an addition: the most successful team in history - Arsenal FC, 13 titles - presented themselves again at Wembley to compete against a London neighbor - Chelsea, eight times champion. It meant the fourteenth crown for the Gunners by defeating yesterday 2-1 the blue team of Frank Lampard. A Frenchman born to a Gabonese father and a Spanish mother is the hero of this 2019-2020 edition: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, author of the two goals of the 2-1. Formidable scorer. The first, with a perfectly executed penalty: strong and close to a post, unbeatable for goalkeepers; the second, after dribbling past the giant defender Zouma, who is 1 meter 90 tall. The maxim of teacher Ricardo Bochini was fulfilled: "The bigger they are, the easier." Exactly: Aubameyang faked going inward, hooked outside, and gently touched it to the left (he is right-footed) over the body of Willy Caballero. A delight.

A backward pass does not allow for mistakes because it takes the team when it is leaving and it is dangerous.

We cannot overlook in the winning goal the frontal attack of Bellerín, who faced three rivals with great determination until Christensen brought him down; but the ball remained with Pepe, who served it to Aubameyang. That run from the Spanish full-back, which attracted four opponents (thus freeing teammates from marks), demonstrates the value of going forward, something that always complicates the opponent. Sebastián Domínguez, a brilliant commentator on ESPN, had been pointing it out during the broadcast: "There are areas of the field where a backward pass no longer has a place, it is not useful, you have to dominate and face forward." We always maintain that the opponent worries them by going forward, not by passing in a downward line, this allows them to adjust. Besides, a backward pass does not allow for mistakes because it takes the team when it is leaving and it is dangerous. The accumulation of opponents allowed Pepe to capture the rebound and Aubameyang to receive the ball freely. That was the key to victory.

With that goal, he completed the comeback victory - trailing 1-0 with an early goal, before the 5th minute - and as an extra reward, Arsenal qualified for the Europa League, which patched up a year that looked lean and ended in celebration. It has been a brilliant start as head coach for Mikel Arteta, the former Spanish midfielder who left a good memory among Gunners fans. Mikel served as an assistant coach to Guardiola at Manchester City, but when his ex-club called, he didn't think for ten seconds: he hugged Pep and said "let me go". And he moved to London to replace another Spaniard: Unai Emery, with a very poor campaign. Arteta took over Arsenal tenth in the Premier League, far from the Champions League spots. But he straightened it out, started winning, and in a few months gave them their first major joy. To highlight the achievement, Arsenal won all six matches they played. And in the semifinal, they had just defeated Guardiola's City. These are not minor details. It was an evenly matched encounter, in which Chelsea's misfortune had an impact. A terrible afternoon for Azpilicueta (ufff... another Spaniard).

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First, he fouled Aubameyang, from which the equalizer came, and then he had to leave with a hamstring injury. Later, Pulisic, having had a magnificent first year in England, tore his hamstring as well when he was about to score against Emiliano Martínez (both goalkeepers in the final are Argentinian). And 24 minutes before the final whistle, Kovacic was sent off after receiving an unfair second yellow card. Referee Anthony Taylor believed he had stepped on an opponent when it was actually the other way around. And Chelsea is a team with little firepower in the box, which Frank Lampard will be able to strengthen next season with two stellar signings: German striker Timo Werner and the exquisite Dutch playmaker Hakim Ziyech. But with ten men, no playmakers or finishers, it was like going to war with a slingshot. However, it was an excellent first season for Lampard as a manager in the top flight. He had already done well the previous year at Derby County, where he almost got promoted. Arteta will also have to think about two or three tweaks if he wants to make this Arsenal team even more competitive, a team that is always favored more by its fans, its history, and its style of play than by its achievements. The crowd was missing, those 90,000 who would have turned Wembley into a pressure cooker. But pandemic or not, tradition remained intact. (O)