I warned after the West Ham match that our season rested on the edge of a knife.
We could ill-afford to drop points at home against a flimsy West Ham side but, having done so, it was of absolutely overwhelming importance that we picked up a result at Craven Cottage.
We failed.
Not only did we lose, we produced quite possible our worst performance in the Premier League for two years. It was a game so utterly bereft of quality that it evoked the very worst memories of Mikel Arteta’s early weeks and months in charge.
At least, in those fledgling seasons, the Spaniard could point to a crop of players that belonged to a different manager and a different era. There are no such excuses now.
In fairness, these last two games have been coming. As unfortunate as we were against West Ham, the themes we saw there – passivity, lack of ideas, wastefulness, fatigue – have simmered under the surface of this season but we have largely found a way to keep them from boiling over.
At Fulham, we could manage no more. The hosts, despite being hammered by everyone they’ve faced in recent weeks, were quicker, hungrier and more aggressive. From the moment Arsenal took the lead until the final whistle, Fulham were simply better in every department.
To aid the host’s cause, Arsenal were abysmal – right down to the simplest of passes. It has been a long time since we have been objectively bad but tonight we were very much that. Our movement was slow and predictable, our passing woeful, our finishing pathetic – we look a shadow of the side that took Brighton to pieces just three weeks ago.
The only consolation from here is that there is now quite a large break before the Gunners have to play again in the Premier League. We are due to face Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on 20 January.
In the three weeks until then, let’s hope the manager and his staff can find a way to shake this side out of its torpor because it’s pretty desperate at the moment. Opponents have finally worked out how to stop us and the news is spreading fast. Sides tailor their entire approach to stopping us playing, they sit deep, they defend in numbers, they pack the wide areas – and it’s proving extremely effective.
It isn’t pretty – in fact it’s brutal to watch – but it is getting results and you can be certain others will quickly try to follow suit.
If we can’t find the personnel or the systems to overcome this slump, to break down these obstinate sides, our place in the top four race is very much at risk.
As for the Premier League race, for me it is already over. No side with ambitions of winning the biggest prizes can afford to drop points to West Ham and Fulham – we have already done so on three occasions this campaign.
Last season, I kept believing right up until it was impossible to believe any more but I can’t be so naive this time around. The league title is beyond us now.
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