Arsenal Vs AC Milan: 5 things we learned

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Arsenal pose for a team photograph before the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 match between AC Milan and Arsenal at the San Siro on March 8, 2018 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

3. This is why I hate Arsenal

How? How can the same team look so bereft of quality, commitment, character and fight for four successive game and then, in an instant, flick a switch and suddenly start playing with such swagger and assurance?

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This is why I hate Arsenal. Now, before we go overboard on the brilliance on this performance, there were issues: Shkodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers were a little disjointed, especially early on; crosses caused problems as the game progressed, with David Ospina looking a little shaky; the finishing was wasteful which a better side may punish.

But this was so much better in comparison to the abject resignation of recent weeks. The fact that players were running in their defending, tracking their opponents, pressing them at times, challenging their first touches, unsettling their play, disrupting their rhythm, making their work as hard as possible, makes it a far different entity to those that we have all suffered through this calendar year.

Now, though, the hard work starts. This is one match, one night, one performance, one 90 minutes. Consistency is king in this industry, and Arsenal still have a long way to go. I guess, at the end of it all, that is why we all love and hate this club in such equal measure.