Overreaction to Arsenal defeat must be tempered

The hysteria one result can produce never ceases to amaze. Never mind factoring in that Arsenal have just fallen to defeat against a Liverpool side who are both Premier League and Champions League title contenders.

Prior to the trip to Anfield there was a positivity unfamiliar to most of Mikel Arteta’s reign. Going ten matches unbeaten, even if there were favourable matchups and fortunate draws nestled in there, was more than could have been hoped for following the three first matches.

Arsenal went up to Merseyside and sought to continue that trend, keeping their usual system and approach only to come unstuck against a side, who for some need reminding once again, are both Premier League and Champions League title contenders.

The manner of defeat doesn’t aid the narrative. The way Arsenal crumbled upon conceding the second goal, and how the team vanquished all composure in the second half in the face or more intense Liverpool pressing, made for unpleasant viewing.

Overreaction to Arsenal defeat must be tempered as one game against Liverpool won’t define the success of this Premier League season

It’s brought about the underlying statistics of the season: 16th for goals scored, 19th for big chances created, 19th for open play goals, 12th for xG, 13th for average possession. Context has to be factored in for near enough all of those figures, with the main takeaway being that the results garnered aren’t sustainable.

Having been fifth in the table prior to the 4-0 defeat, the red herring of going above Liverpool with victory was dangled. Numbers tell us one thing, the table tells another.

From being ‘top four challengers’, Arsenal are now supposedly ‘woeful’ and headed for ‘disaster’. Has that loss on matchweek 12 dramatically altered the fortunes of the team this season? No, it has not. The season will be defined by the 32 matches against everyone bar Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Are the Gunners still in the mix for Europe? Of course they are. But as is always the case in these scenarios there can be too much drawn too soon. Arsenal were fifth before the game and they’re fifth now. Liverpool changed nothing literally, or figuratively.

This team needs every bit of support it can get. The whole world knows it’s the youngest side in the Premier League, therefore the whole world should know that there are benefits and drawbacks to that. The ups will be met with occasional downs, especially against teams that are both Premier League and Champions League title contenders.

There is no benefit in accepting there will be hiccups only to then not accept the first major hiccup that comes. And it’s not even that major. It came against a team who are both Premier League and Champions League title contenders.

Getting hammered away at ‘big six’ teams hurts. At no stage does it ever not. What is different this time is that the team getting blown away at Anfield wasn’t packed full of senior players dropping 2/10 performances; it was dotted about with young players getting their first taste of this fixture in English football who will use the experience in the right way.

Tempering expectations works both ways: a positive result would have been fabulous but wouldn’t have confirmed Arsenal as top four contenders, just as defeat shouldn’t call for the manager’s head.

Progress isn’t linear and some of the responses to Saturday’s mauling suggest it is. Lightyears away from going toe-to-toe with the Liverpool’s of this world, all that changes now is that Newcastle at home goes from being a big game to a huge one.

Save the knives for another time, just don’t keep sharpening them all the way through.