Arsenal produced a disappointing performance in their match against Wolves at the weekend, and there was an awareness within the squad that it was a poor way to secure a result. While the outcome itself may have been positive, the manner of the display raised concerns about sustainability. Performances of that level are unlikely to be effective against stronger opposition, and there is an understanding that continuing in such a way would leave the team vulnerable.
Concerns despite a strong squad
Arsenal possesses several of the finest players in Europe within their current squad and has consistently worked to maximise their potential. Earlier in the season, the team enjoyed an impressive run of form, during which they recorded several significant victories. Those results reinforced the belief that this campaign could represent a major opportunity for the club.
The Gunners earned praise for overcoming opponents they had previously struggled against, a factor that contributed to growing optimism among supporters. Their ability to rise to difficult challenges was seen as a sign of maturity and progress. However, the display against Wolves contrasted sharply with those earlier performances and undermined some of that confidence.
Despite their continued efforts to improve and maintain high standards, the nature of the showing caused frustration. It prompted questions about focus and consistency, particularly given how early it is in the season for performance levels to dip.
Dressing room response after Wolves
According to The Telegraph, the reaction within the squad was immediate. Following the result, Arsenal’s players held a meeting in the dressing room, where they conducted an honest and direct assessment of their performance. There was a clear acceptance that the display was not good enough and fell short of the standards they had set for themselves.
The players reportedly acknowledged that it was far too early in the campaign to allow their levels to drop. This internal response suggests a willingness to take responsibility and address issues before they develop into a wider problem.
While doubts may have begun to surface among supporters, the club will be keen to ensure that this moment serves as a corrective rather than a turning point for the worse. Arsenal will now look to respond with improved performances and restore the confidence built earlier in the season.
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Hopefully my opinion that it was one of the worst games I had the misfortune to sit through, has been vindicated by the players themselves.
I even got an email from my old friend Jon Fox having a go at me for my comments regardibg Saka!!
I will be in touch Jon and expect an apology from you!!
Let’s hope the players have got this out of their system and we go back to playing the way that has taken us to the top of both the PL and CL.
Ken, tell Jon I hope his panto season goes well. Of course, he may read it here😄.
Jax, Jon reads JA, that’s why he sent me the “abusive” (😂) email, with capital letters galore!!!
I’ll ask him about the panto and what part he might play – the wicked witch seems appropriate.
Also met Phil (PAL) before the Wolves game and had a great meal and chat with him.
He’s in great form and we argued about Arsene yet again!! 😂
The game was terrible to watch, a limp display against a team winless this year, sitting on a meager 2 points; playing them at the Emirates!
Disgusting performance, and my solace was watching Rice furiously walk to the tunnel while others celebrated; ridiculous considering how woeful they played.
Hopefully the player talk in the dressing room will set about a change. Whether player effort, manager tactics, whatever the reason, performances like this will not been seen again.
City hitting form, waiting for us to slip, and we have some players celebrating a lucky result against one of the worst PL clubs I have seen in years.
Cheers to Rice, and hopefully he gave the players the hairdryer treatment, they fully earned it.
We’ve hit a rough patch lately due to a multiple factors such as injuries, fixture accumulation and tiredness but the reaction has been over the top. The usual for our volatile fanbase. This is still the team who has 19 W 3 D 2 L this season, who dismantled Bayern and Athetico. Some thought we would keep winning and have double digits lead on City by mid-season lol we built that gap so when we have a wobble of our own, we still remain 1st.
Ackshay, I take on board and agree with all you say – that’s why the performance in this game was so awful.
I’m so pleased the players realized what an unacceptable performance this was and I now understand why Rice looked like an “old man” out there – he’d been sick the day before!!
I called out Saka for coasting through the game and got backlash for that observation – I know what a great player he is and, in my opinion, he didn’t show that in any way… at least not until the corner.
Take Declan’s attitude after the whistle (I went back to clap the players off) compared to Saka’s and others – this was always the attitude greats like Vieira, Adams, Henry, McClintock etc showed.
I’m still pi**ed off by what I saw and it had nothing to do with injuries, referees, dodgy decisions or the manager – it was players who thought Wolves would roll over and they didn’t.
I fully expect to see us back to the level that you write about, but, c’ Mon, that performance was probably the worst I’ve seen in years!!
Ken1945,
regards- it was the players who thought wolves would roll over and they didn’t.
The same can be said of certain poster’s on this forum. The way opposition teams are just discarded is just daft as far as I’m concerned.
I’ve said it on previous posts discarding the opposition, don’t tempt fete. Because one day it will come back and bite, and it very nearly did against Wolves.
For me whoever the opposition, we have to earn the right to play our football. And that means showing the utmost respect to whomever we play.
Derek, I think we’ve seen disrespect of our manager, our players, our fans and our opponents on JA for a long time.
Tempting fate is different to disrespect of course and, whenever one predicts a result etc , they are doing the former but not the latter.
One could say the players did both against Wolves!!
Ken1945,
I have you right regards the players did both against Wolves. 👍
Yess there was also an expectation that we would easily win here and the players maybe didn’t play at 100%. No runs no movements whatsoever.
Weird I saw Saka always asking for the ball trying to make something happen all game. He was the only one actually taking on his opponent and beating him.
If Ken1945 thought the game was diabolical then that speaks volumes. I guess the players were relieved to have won, hence the celebrations, but the reported post match dissection was clearly necessary from everything I’ve read about the match, so it needs to act as a reminder that there are no easy games and other teams are hot on their heels if they falter.
It just goes back to the mentality issue for me.
City hitting form, hot on our heels 2 points back, and we know they can and will walk us down, as evidence from previous years.
We needed a statement after having a wobble, and what better opponent than dead-last, winless Wolves at the Emirates.
We made a statement alright, unfortunately the exact opposite of what was needed.
Instead of a proper display showing we are back on form, we raised more questions.
Would love to know what Rice was thinking as he opted to go down the tunnel rather than celebrate, and what was said to the players from Rice and Odegaard.
This is where I also think that we supporters lack the mentality to believe Arsenal are capable of winning the league. My view is that I would expect City to be well and truly in the mix and I am surprised at the level of opinion that has suggested otherwise. I also imagine that apart from the team leadership group, Arteta wasn’t slow in coming forward with a few choice words of his own
The obvious point is the season hasn’t reached the half way point yet. Soon, of course, but isn’t it a reasonable assumption to make that other clubs will have ebbs and flows during the remaining months?. It seems defeatist to me to think that just because City are this close that Arsenal are going to fold like a pack of cards. There are just too many variables to even contemplate what will happen come May when it is still mid December
Disagree Sue ,
On this very site Arsenal have been called a juggernaut, Arteta has been called tactically superior to Mr Wenger and that he will win everything, Pep Guardiola has been called jealous of Arteta because he’s surpassed him , our squad has been called one of the best in the world , some predicted in October we win our next 10 league games in a row , Halland it was predicted would not manage a shot on target against our defence, Man City were called a one man team
Real Madrid were called the cemmentary of talents
This squad were compared to the Invincibles
Skelley was called the next Ashley Cole.
Some have put their nose up to the Carabo Cup
I could go on ……..so there’s deffo those who have the mentality to call Arsenal great .
That’s the issue , we have celebrated these players before they have achieved anything and now the same fans are panicking
In reality , we did nothing special and there’s allot of football to be played
Dan, who’s panicking?!
I’m calling out a dreadful performance, nothing more and nothing less.
You keep repeating individual messages from fans who have their own opinions ad nauseum.
Of course, I could quote your message that the season is over before it’s started while Mr Kronkie is the owner, or that Liverpool fans were responsible for the troubles in Paris… but it gets boring mate, it really does!! lol🤔
My quotes are relevant to the topic
Was simply pointing out that some fans have been very positive and confident
Are you telling me Dan, that it is the fans who thought that Arsenal would stroll to the title who are panicking? You have described a few individual comments most of which are fanciful or the stuff of dreamland. I only read the comments made during the Wolves game. The season was lost etc etc in many cases and the consensus was generally negative. Hysteria in full throttle. One thing we can definitely agree on is there is a lot of football to be played.
Yeah Sue
Honestly I think ( not just in football but in general) everyone overreacts
When we win the praise is over the top, when we lose it’s over the top
The truth is in the middle
That’s why whatever happens at the weekend there is allot of games left to play
Having read SJ’s post below, I agree with you that there is a tendency to overreact one way or the other
I am not overreacting, Sue. I think I’m being realistic.
The players we bought got my belief high up to 50% that we can go one step further this season, but unfortunately some of the players are not performing how they were performing in their previous clubs plus the persistent injuries we keep having is not helping.
So logically my belief will naturally reduce.
SueP, we are both lucky enough to have attended games this season and know what the atmosphere is like, the support from the fans, the effort from the players and Mikel’s 100% involvement.
There is no reason why we cannot win the PL this season – apart from injuries and more performances like the Wolves debacle.
See Kens got the right mentality lolm
I agree.
There’s a number of fans that are displaying unnecessary negativity and really poor mentality. Arsenal are still in a good position to fight for the league and other titles.
For me, our chances of winning the Premier League is just 20%
My confidence has diminished.
Injuries are not even helping.
Our backline is one more injury away from calamity and we might have academy players like Salmon and Nichols filling up.
I’m not putting my hope up that we will win the league. I have prepared my mind for Man City to win it.
If we end up winning it then I will be over the moon.
SJ,
20% now what was before? Also the percentage of Arteta getting the sack if not champions?
He won’t get sacked mate
The Koronke Family know allot of fans have been manipulated
They will say winning isn’t the only measurement of success, blame injuries, etc
Look at the second half of last season
I’m capable of being manipulated as I believed AW when he said top4 was a trophy.
The reality is that at the time, Wenger was juggling the finances post Emirates build so top4 brought in CL money. The same reality remains and CL football is vital to attract players, to keep the CL millions rolling in and to keep bums on seats. All the while, top4 gives the team a fighting chance of winning the league. Being out for as long as Arsenal were brought with it less money to invest and a slower than hoped return to CL football. That has been achieved and I don’t think I’m currently being manipulated in my view. Josh Kroenke is interested in winning. We all want to win but I have looked at the overall picture from the post Emery period and recognise that to secure long term success requires money and time. I’ve said it before, doing a Leicester or Blackburn wasn’t worth it for Arsenal to then retreat down the league. Short term pain, for long term gain
100%
I had a 50% believe that we will win the league.
I doubt Arteta will get sacked by Kroenke if he doesn’t win any trophy, especially if Arteta gets top 4.
The Champions League qualification money is more important to Kroenke than trophies.
It’s hard to put percentages on this sort of thing but there are only a few teams that can realistically go the whole distance in a title race. City is the most serious contender. Several of the trailing 6 teams could eventually emerge as challengers (Chelsea, Liverpool especially, but also Villa now) if they go on a good run and we don’t pick up momentum. We have a recent history of losing momentum in the last half of the season, and we’ve recruited to mitigate that, but no season is won or lost in December.
I would like to see how the players will respond against Everton on Saturday, another team who are a bogey team to us now.
I fear for this match though.
There really needs to be urgency and end product from the players on Saturday.
Gyokeres.
Trossard. Odegaard. Saka.
Rice. Zubimendi.
Calafiori. Hincapie. Saliba. Timber.
Raya.
SUBS –
Jesus, Martinelli, Eze, Madueke, Nwaneri, Merino, Norgaard, Skelly, Kepa.
SJ,
Thank you for your honest assessment. After Liverpool slump began, mine was 90% and with the recent Arsenal difficulties I only take out 10% from it. We shall deffo win it mates.
Why we fear the suspect City pending the verdict. Attack City courageously and they can’t defend with their always changing backline. 2nd round when it matters the most almost all ties against top teams we play at home. Don’t discount this important advantage.
We still have not fielded our best team saving them for the business end of the season though involuntarily. Some Gooners mostly accuse the team of bottle job when they are the first to do so.
Maybe the performance against Wolves is what the team needed, Now let’s hope Arteta and the team fixes whatever might be the issue. May the real Arsenal show up on Saturday,