It’s remarkable how quickly the ‘feel good’ factor around a football club can dissipate.
Before the international break, Arsenal fans were jubilant, full of hope and in the finest voice I’ve witnessed for a good many years. It was a good time to be a Gunner.
Fast-forward to about 10pm on Monday night and that jubilation had turned to grim foreboding. Losing to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City after gusty performances is one thing, going down to an inconsistent Crystal Palace side with one of your worst performances of the season is quite another.
For the first 45 minutes last night, we were rotten. There was none of the co-ordination, grit, competitiveness and steel we have seen for large parts of this season. There was no verve, no intent, and no energy. It must have been as baffling for the manager to watch as it was for those of us at home.
After happening upon a winning formula that has carried them to so many wins this season, the team appeared to abandon it all on a whim. The hosts were stronger, quicker, and more ruthless. We were out-competed in every department in that first half.
When at last we did switch on after the break, a clutch of squandered opportunities meant we couldn’t force our way back into the match and, by the end of the night, we were left to lick our wounds and scratch our heads – all our momentum and intensity had been brought to a screeching halt.
Hopefully, last night was just one of ‘those’ nights. Almost no side can go an entire season without a handful and if we can get it out of the way now and refocus for the run-in, so much the better.
What we can’t afford is for the sense of foreboding to fester and take root. We can’t afford to go on a bad run. Not now. Not when the finish line is in sight and the baton is in our hands.
Getting over the line is going to be tough, for sure, and injuries to vital players like Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney won’t make things any easier. If defeat was a blow last night, losing those two was doubly devastating.
If Mikel Arteta has proven adept at anything, though, it has been building a sense of resilience among his small squad. The siege mentality really has powered us through many a game this term and it will be needed in spades if we are to keep going to the end.
It’s clear there is a lot of work needed in the summer in terms of personnel but, for now, we have to play the hand we have been dealt. That means finding a way of playing with Alex Lacazette up top and accommodating someone at left back who is as solid as Tierney.
Brighton at home on Saturday – in an incredibly rare 3pm kick-off, is a chance to get ourselves back on track. Victory will allow us to compartmentalise defeat at Palace as a blip but, to be clear, it must be a victory – anything less and a narrative starts to build and, once those start to form, they are difficult to shake.
Let’s get back that feel-good factor.
Blog on You Gunners 