Is Arsenal’s season about to fall apart against Slavia Prague?

You would almost miss the international break! In a season that has been marred by false dawns and crushing disappointment, the final nail was hammered into the Arsenal Premier League coffin on Saturday night as a frankly disgraceful performance saw them record a wretched 3-0 defeat against Liverpool.

Playing host to the champions was always likely to be a challenging proposition for the Gunners, and a mix of influential absentees and upcoming European matters meant claiming any points would be extremely difficult. However, while the gulf in class between the sides came as little surprise, one utterly inexcusable aspect of the display was the lack of pride for the shirt.

Mikel Arteta’s pre-match promise of “no handbrake” rang hollow right from the off as his side quickly resorted to park-the-bus tactics, seeking to withstand sustained Liverpool pressure before hitting on the break.

Weak positional play and abysmal ball retention rendered the approach ineffective, and the resulting defeat is just the latest in a worrying run of form that could derail our season.

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Defeat to Liverpool on Saturday is just the latest indication that Arsenal’s season is about to fall apart

Similar to the dreadful winless streak that followed our victory at Old Trafford in November, Arsenal’s performances have dipped alarmingly since the recent 2-1 triumph in the north London derby.

During the three intervening weeks, the seven goals Arsenal have conceded have complemented similarly disheartening performances, with a dour 1-0 loss to Olympiakos and pathetic half-hour Premier League surrender at West Ham highlighting infuriating inconsistency this term.

Speaking in his post-match interview on Saturday, the boss rightly condemned the performance as “not acceptable” and offered an apology for supporters for the manner of the defeat.

However, such remorse echoes the sentiments expressed in the aforementioned games and, with few signs of improvement on the pitch, fans are becoming understandably anxious about our prospects of European glory in May.

Despite the soul-sapping nature of this campaign, Arsenal still have a shot of redemption when they resume their Europa League campaign on Thursday with a crucial home clash against Slavia Prague, even if they’ll do so without David Luiz.

The season has threatened to unravel in recent weeks and promises have been made regarding improvement, but the time for talking is over and it must now be done on the pitch.