Arsenal’s promising season is now just ONE game from falling apart… Mikel Arteta has a huge job on his hands to pick up his players after Bayern heartbreak – and a familiar feeling awaits if he fails, writes SAMI MOKBEL
- It takes time to recover from these defeats, but that is a luxury Arsenal do not have
- How Mikel Arteta manages to strengthen his side from here will determine the rest of the season
- Harry Kane’s trophy curse continues… Will he EVER win a trophy after Bayer Leverkusen’s glory in the Bundesliga? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Crisis? Not quite. That will be the case if Arsenal lose to Wolves on Saturday.
A week that had promised so much has only produced pain. A total nightmare.
A defeat at home to Aston Villa on Sunday evening and now a Champions League exit against Bayern Munich.
The damage caused by a defeat at Molineux could be irreparable.
The remnants of nights like last night in Munich are not easy to shake off.
Arsenal have no time to wallow in the sadness of defeat to Bayern Munich and must respond against Wolves
After a nightmare week, their season is on the verge of falling apart if they don’t recover quickly
The highlights of the Champions League are lofty. It is the pinnacle for modern players, success in Europe means everything to this generation of footballers.
The lows are also crushing. Recovery may take some time. But time is exactly what Arsenal don’t have.
How Mikel Arteta rallies his desperate men ahead of what has now become a crucial clash at Molineux cannot be underestimated.
The next 48 hours will be tough. Physically, two games in four days will take its toll, especially towards the end of a grueling season.
But perhaps even more relevant: the players will be psychologically exhausted.
They need love and care. They are excellent players; Arteta won’t go far wrong in reinforcing his belief in this group ahead of the weekend.
But even that may not be enough to allow the wounds to heal enough to produce what is needed at Wolves.
How Arteta approaches the coming days could make or break a season that is in danger of falling apart.
How Mikel Arteta approaches the coming days could make or break Arsenal’s season
The Champions League offers frenzied highs and crushing lows and Arsenal can learn from this heartbreak
This group of Arsenal players are in uncharted territory, having never experienced such heartbreak in the Champions League before.
If the trajectory of their improvement continues in the coming years, they will get used to bouncing back from these kinds of disappointments.
But at the moment, the rapid evolution of this Arsenal team means they are learning as they go.
However, if there is no response from Wolves on Saturday, their season will be on its knees.
Questions about Arsenal’s mentality at the business end of the season will linger after this loss here at the Allianz Arena.
Last season they fell apart as they went for the Premier League title. The story was similar in 2022, when we went for a top-four finish.
It looks and feels like the wheels are coming off again at the worst possible time.
Questions remain about Arsenal’s mentality and they have made a habit of collapsing late in the season
But despite all that, victory at Wolves will breathe new life into a season that has seen some serious fluctuations.
That’s what Arteta will rely on.
However, if you suffer defeat, all with Arsenal connections will fear the worst. Again.
