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Growing up happens to us all. Hangovers linger a little longer on a Sunday morning. Framemogging passes you by and means absolutely nothing.
And things slowly but surely become a little less exciting. Nearly four years ago, now, Arsenal went to Roy Hodgson's Watford (uh-huh, that really happened – even Claudio Ranieri managed them at one point), and despite conceding two unnecessary goals, put on a bit of a show. It was a display of Granit Xhaka in a more positive role, Martin Odegaard roaming around and both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli cutting inside.
A trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday was not supposed to raise a pulse. It was a footnote in a television schedule dominated by the Champions League: if you were a neutral, you would be forgiven for not knowing it was even on. The perfect match, the perfect occasion, for being just a little bit boring.
Goal difference is nice – but growing up is knowing that it's more important to conserve energy, ensure that you get the job done and put in a professional display, holding the team 19 places below you at arm's length. After all, as Rob Edwards said after the game, the pressure was on the visitors.
Yes, the majority of the night was boring enough. Arsenal started quickly with a Bukayo Saka header, and then looked to manage the match, allowing Wolves possession, safe in the knowledge that Edwards' side were up against arguably the best defence in Europe. Until the 90th minute, the bedlam of a Wolves equaliser, players on either side squaring up with one another, and Gabriels Jesus and Magalhaes remonstrating with anyone who would give them the time of day.
In his post-match press conference, even manager Mikel Arteta didn't defend his players' mentality, claiming, “Any question, any criticism, any opinion, you have to take it on the chin today: anybody can be right because we didn't do what we had to do.” Arsenal legend, Paul Merson, meanwhile, said he was “worried” about the Basque's reaction, claiming, “I can’t put my finger on it, but something is missing.”
Never mind the end of the season: Arsenal take on Tottenham in the North London Derby on Sunday, and it's going to be a long few days of discourse over whether Arsenal have the stomach to hold onto their top spot. The same few words are already flying about. Bottle. Mentality. Fight.
Yet the issue isn't in Arsenal's heads at all. The issue is out on the pitch.
The league leaders were outfought and outplayed by Brentford last time out, and by Wolves this. The most physically dominant team in the league are looking weaker by the week – and they've painted themselves into a style where they can't seem to play through teams anymore. What on Earth is going on?
Arsenal had four shots on target at Molineux. Last week, fans were bemoaning Gabriel Martinelli's missed chance to grab all three points at the Gtech – but the fact remains: Premier League winners shouldn't need to rely on such small margins. It simply looks incredibly unusual, for the best team in the league (supposedly), to score after five minutes against the worst team in the league (supposedly) and struggle to go for the jugular in the first half.
Liverpool and Manchester City created so much more when they were going for trophies – and given that they had the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah, they probably didn't need to create so much.
Arteta has Viktor Gyokeres. While his performance in front of goal has been debatable, he hasn't competed physically either. Arsenal were actually penned in by Wolves for swathes of the second half and couldn't get out, because every time they used the Swede as a pressure valve, he couldn't make the ball stick. This is a team that seriously misses Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino, with no physical outlet to get them upfield.
What a strange problem for an Arsenal side. It never used to be way – even under Arteta. Yes, Arsenal have matured in the last few seasons – but when this team first suggested they could compete for a trophy, they were capable of squeezing teams into submission with movement, pace and tempo: last-gasp winners were a staple, with Arteta moving to a 3-5-2 late in games to batter opponents. They still had Gabriel Jesus, perhaps Eddie Nketiah up front.
Nowadays, Arsenal just cross and hope against a low block, seemingly manufacturing set-piece-esque opportunities. It's as if they've coached out the expression. The play is too slow. There is very little unpredictability. Bukayo Saka has been given an opportunity at no.10 – and it's been a welcome sight – but the attack is looking stagnant. More teams sit back against Arsenal, granted, but Arsenal don't do enough to move their opponent around.
And that's the kicker. When Manchester City came to the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season, Pep Guardiola did something he had never done before. He sat back. He soaked up the pressure. He had no intention of controlling the game against Arsenal – and Arsenal took it as a compliment. It was a sign of how much this group had grown up that the mighty Catalan respected his rivals that much.
But perhaps that was a lie. Perhaps Guardiola knew that if he sat in two blocks of five against this Arsenal side, they simply wouldn't break his team down. And he was right: the equaliser came from the split second that City lost their shape.
It may be a straight shootout between the two sides as to who lifts the Premier League title. Maybe it should, too: this is a team that needs a statement win if they're going to get their hands on silverware, and there haven't been many of those this season against top teams in the league.
It'll probably come down to the game at the Etihad. Pundits will question Arsenal's bottle, mentality and fight. But the fact is alarmingly different. Arsenal are not good enough tactically right now. If they lose the title, it will lost on the pitch, and not in their heads.
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