Following their Champions League exit on Wednesday (more of that later), it was critical for Arsenal to get back to winning ways immediately. And… mission achieved. For all that Saturday's game was a terrible spectacle, the result was everything; because failure to have picked up those three points would have meant the death knell for any title aspirations.
We're at the stage of the season when results matter more than performances. It's great to look superb in December, January, February - but at this time of year, provided you've got something to play for, that all fades into the background and it's points that matter - nothing else. With Arsenal (and Liverpool) now needing to both go perfect for the next half a dozen games, AND wait for City to slip up, it's functionality that counts. Cut out the mistakes. Get the ball in the onion bag by hook or by crook. Just get over the line.
Stage One was Wolves away. On paper, a possibly tricky encounter. And whilst our hosts were suffering with a ludicrous number of injuries, you start at 0-0 and you have to somehow break the deadlock. With the double blow of the previous two matches very much in everybody's minds, it was time to do what was necessary, no matter how, to achieve the required result.
The job was done; albeit that's 90+ minutes of our lives that we'll never get back. A somewhat fortuitous Trossard shot that made its way into the top corner, and then a late (and clever) second from skipper Odegaard after what felt like an interminable and agonising second half, and the job was done.
If it hadn't been for some Raya heroics at the other end, things may have been different. Arsenals' current streak of away clean sheets is quite remarkable, however; perhaps it's easier in some ways to play away from an expectant Emirates Stadium?
It wasn't quite 'backs to the wall', but in their post Villa/Bayern funk Arsenal afforded Wolves too much respect. It felt like a sudden lack of 'mojo'. It does feel that Arteta is struggling to find the right formula at the moment, and he probably needs to freshen things up just a little now.
Of course, it's difficult to parachute players who are lacking minutes into the XI. A lack of sharpness at this stage could be fatal. But he's surely got to use Thomas Partey a little more. And give Gabriel Martinelli the chance to regain his pre-injury form. A fit and firing Partey can make a dramatic difference. And losing what Martinelli is best at has upset the whole front line. And - and I cannot believe I'm typing this after the start the man had to his Arsenal career - he needs to ensure that Kai Havertz plays up top; whatever that means for Gabriel Jesus.
Defeat at home to Villa meant that the 'noise' had started. Arsenal are 'bottlers'. Arsenal 'don't have what it takes'. Arsenal are 'serial losers'. etc etc. To then follow that with defeat in Munich only served to grease those wheels. Bayern had a little too much knowhow over the two legs; for all that we can point at key moments - especially in the home leg - that could have made a difference.
Let's face it. the team didn't deserve anything from either game. And it additionally served to pile the pressure on Arteta and his charges. But there's still a huge prize within reach.
So what has happened? Let's examine the situation: firstly, we'd have taken this at the beginning of the season - in with a reasonable shout of the title with 6 games to go. As for the Champions League, quarter final felt about right. After all, it took years for City to win it. It's feels like only clubs with true Champions League heritage/history - the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool (failed to qualify this time round) and, yes, Bayern - have the 'aura' you need to make real progress in the competition. It's Arteta's Arsenal's first season; so a step further next year, please...
And secondly yes, there HAS been progress this season. One league defeat at the end of a long, spectacular run of victories did not mean that the train had run out of track. The team had to show that it had merely been temporarily derailed; and it did that on Saturday evening. Quarter final CL defeat was not the end of the world. There were weeks in the Wenger years when Arsenal crashed out of competitions, one after the other, within the space of a week. But at least this Arsenal team remains in with a chance of attaining its primary target.
Last season, of course, they completely ran out of steam. This season, there is a chance that this may yet happen again, and if that does happen then Arteta will inevitably have questions to answer about squad rotation and freshness. He'd been building the squad up to peak at this moment, and if it fails to do so then he'll be asking himself identical questions to those we'll be asking.
For what it's worth, I feel that he has over-played a number of key individuals, implying that he doesn't have full faith in some of his squad to fill in. City have a massive group of players - almost two full XIs - but they've had years (and the wealth of an entire nation) to get to that point. And Liverpool have done remarkably well to negotiate their injury crisis. The only excuse we can offer for Arteta is that the 'project' remains a young one. And I honestly believe that Arsenal have, in each of the last three seasons, been achieving tasks a season ahead of schedule. 8th to 5th was a big jump. To then somehow challenge for the title last season an even bigger one. This season, for all the money spent, the Manager is still obliged to work with players of insufficient quality. You know the players to whom I refer...
The phenomenal run from January to March has ended. They hit the buffers. But they started to bounce back on Saturday. This is a tricky week; Chelsea are completely unpredictable (thankfully their talisman Palmer looked less than fully fit over the weekend), and we all know what's awaiting the team on Sunday. Arsenal can definitely beat Chelsea, but a rested and highly motivated Tottenham Hotspur side at The New Toilet Bowl will be comfortably the biggest remaining challenge. Hopefully Arsenal can exploit their ludicrously high line - but that's for another day; it's Chelsea first of course.
We shall see. Believe; it's so close now...
COYG!
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