Arsenal: Wolverhampton is the exception, you know?

There is a lot of disappointment hovering around Arsenal’s anticlimactic draw with Wolverhampton, but that match was an exception, you know?

Arsenal fans had been talking title contention when they rolled into the match against Wolverhampton and, now removed from the match, the talk has dimmed into silence, the criticism has come out and everyone is quick to point out that the same problems that plagued the club last year are here and have been here all year.

It was a 1-1 draw. We should be disappointed, sure, and as Bernd Leno said, the fact that it was our 16th match in a row without losing is cool and all, but it’s just a number. The match itself was a let down.

But it was also an exception. Not in every single way, I’m not here saying that the Gunners have been perfect all year, but all in all, this team has shown so much more strength than the lack that we saw against Wolverhampton that it doesn’t bother me.

I’m especially irked by the people making the “it’s the same old problems” comment. It wasn’t the same old problems. It was an entirely new problem.

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While in previous matches it had been the defense giving us all nervous breakdowns and near-aneurisms, against Wolverhampton, the defensive woes were simply byproducts of the style of the match and the real problem was the problematic attack, which couldn’t piece together a meaningful move to save their collective life.

The attack has not let us down before. And while Nuno Espirito Santo deserves tremendous credit for prepping the team so convincingly to shut out a potent attack, we also have to recognize that Unai Emery is going to be challenged. He is going to have to learn. And this match was a tremendous opportunity for him to do so.

The big change with this match was that half time didn’t change anything. we have started poorly in the past and come back on fire in the second half. That didn’t happen this time around, but it’s also the first time that it hasn’t happened. That isn’t cause to panic, it’s just a byproduct of a highly competitive league.

Pump the breaks a bit on the panic. It’s overdone. This is a team in a fantastic state. There are a few questions that need answering, but with Emery in charge, there is no reason to think that they won’t be answered.