Arsenal may have lost our first three League games this season, but at least we had a few mitigating circumstances, like injuries, Covid and playing the two Champions League finalists.
But after that we picked ourselves up and went on a ten-game unbeaten run and somehow slowly but surely fought our way into contention for the Champions League places.
But now we have just had a run of three games, which if we had won we would be practically guaranteed Top Four, but somehow we have lost all three of them to confirmed mid-table opponents.
Now we have the daunting task of going to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, and how must the players be feeling after yesterday’s embarrassing defeat by Southampton? Arteta told Arsenal.com after the game: “They are really down today, and they are down because they cannot find the right answer apart from what we can do better around the box, and not to win the match. That’s the frustration – when somebody is better than you you shake their hands and you have to do something, you have to believe yourself you have to be critical of yourself. But when it’s happening the way it happened – apart from 25 minutes against Palace, and some period against Brighton in the first half – it’s very difficult to explain, and accept.”
Could the boys suddenly bounce back to beat a Chelsea side that completely destroyed Southampton 6-0 just a week ago? It seems a big ask, if not impossible. Chelsea followed up that saints win by going to the Bernabeau and were a hairs breadth away from beating Real Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League. Today the Blues are taking on Crystal Palace, who brushed us aside 3-0 just a few weeks ago, and if Chelsea win that too, they will be in supremely confident form before welcoming Arsenal to the Bridge on Wednesday.
Can anyone see Arteta picking up Arsenal’s spirits enough to put up a fight against Chelsea?