We Have Serious Problems

There's always a fear of overreacting after each individual game.  Win and it's an example of the undeniable quality that'll lead to multiple trophies.  Draw and it's a clear sign of the other team's lack of tactics or of the referee's bias.  Lose and all hell breaks loose.

However, I think that we have no fear of overreacting after this latest fiasco.  To wit, let us acknowledge what has happened:

- We've dropped 11 points in the first 11 games.
- We've lost to 2 of the 3 promoted clubs.
- We've lost to two of the clubs sitting at the bottom of the table.
- Outside of Hull City, none of the clubs to whom we've lost points to are near the top of the standings.  

And let's be honest here:  the performances in those losses (to Fulham, Hull and now Stoke City) have been nothing if not dispirited.  Whether hubris or disinterest, the squads taking the field for Arsenal in those games have played with zero urgency, little fire and almost none of the flair or quality that has marked the teams under Wenger.

What makes it worse is that even the wins become suspect when looked upon this light.  That 2-0 win over West Ham that required an own goal to open up a stingy defense and a 3-1 Everton victory that didn't look to be the case at halftime.  Attach them to the Hull loss and Sunderland draw and you gotta go back to the first week of Setptember and that Blackburn thrashing to see the kind of game that this team can and should be doing.  

The usual suspects have been hashed and rehashed by everyone around the forums, blogs, message boards and so on.  The lack of width.  The poor defending.  The apparent going-through-the-motions.  The absent leadership.  So I won't.  I'll just add that this is an opportunity for Arsene and the team to assess their master plan.  Just looking to ship players out and buying new players in January cannot be the only answer -- as much as us fans may think that'd solve everything.  Benching players cannot be the only answer -- as much as many of the big name players have been acting as if their spot on the team is sacrosanct.  Taking the armband from Gallas cannot be the only answer -- even if he seems incapable of motivating a bowl of oatmeal to just sit there.

Some fans have already begun to start thinking that the league is beyond reach this season and that we have to pull a Liverpool (focus exclusively in the Champions League and FA Cup).  I wouldn't quite go that far yet.  There's still tons of football left to be played.  And it all starts again this week with two "must-win" clashes against Fenerbahce in the CL and Manchester United on Saturday.

It's clear that this Arsenal squad isn't gelling like you'd expect from a team that's been growing together for the past 4 years.  And more games like this will have everyone -- fans, coaches, players -- looking for the emergency exits.