Arsenal will try to regain confidence after two consequtive losses to Everton and ManCity with same 2-1 magine; when it play host to West Brom on Monday 26th.

It was turned back on Arsenal in mocking tones by Manchester City's supporters at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as for the second time in a week that once-famous advantage was transformed into a damaging defeat.

Arsenal have led by that single goal at Everton and Manchester City before losing 2-1, overpowered and outflanked in both games in a manner that had alarm bells ringing for those who saw familiar flaws being exposed.

So has this last week proved that the early season optimism was only another false dawn for Arsenal and Wenger, or is this simply a stumble?

Same old Arsenal?

Offside decisions difficult to accept - Wenger
Arsenal's weakness under pressure, first at a thunderous Goodison Park on Tuesday and again in the face of a Manchester City side that was simply too intense and talented for them to resist, was something that was supposed to have been cured this season.

And, in Arsenal's defence, there had been promising signs that the obvious soft underbelly that has undermined them in recent seasons had been cured at times this term.

Arsenal were poor at Manchester United on 19 November but hung in and earned a point they did not merit when Olivier Giroud equalised late on. It was the sort of the game they had lost on many other occasions.

And it was only a fortnight ago that Arsenal were being lauded for a stylish, ruthless demolition of West Ham United at the London Stadium, a performance many felt carried the hallmark of potential champions.

The loss at Everton was their first in the Premier League this season since the opening day defeat at home to Liverpool, and in that spell was a 3-0 beating of current leaders Chelsea that was so comprehensive that it convinced Antonio Conte he had to reshape tactically, with staggeringly successful results and 11 straight league wins.

It was an impressive 14-game sequence for Arsenal.

In mitigating circumstances, they have also lost Shkodran Mustafi to a hamstring injury. The Germany central defender has proved an excellent signing since arriving from Valencia in the summer, adding genuine defensive backbone in partnership with Laurent Koscielny.

The last time they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats was in March 2016 against Manchester United and Swansea City. The last time they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats away from home was in April 2014 at Chelsea and Everton.

And yet. And yet.

The question Arsenal have failed to answer on so many occasions since "The Invincibles" went 38 games unbeaten to win their last title in 2003-04 is - could they stand it when the heat was on, when the physical and mental pressures were at their height?

At Everton and Manchester City they looked in control at half-time, less so at the Etihad perhaps, and twice they have become unsettled and eventually beaten by teams who have applied sustained pressure.

When it came to the pressure points, Arsenal were brittle and cracked. They have been fragile before and now need to produce hard evidence very swiftly that this is merely a temporary state of affairs and not a revisiting of damaging old habits that refuse to die.

Arsenal looked tired. They were subjected to a fierce physical test at Everton on Tuesday, but every other title contender has been playing this week and they quite simply have to meet these demands if they wish to end that title drought, irrespective of the fact they have Champions League football to factor in where the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have no European commitments.

Once Manchester City went ahead there was, from an Arsenal perspective, a grim inevitability about the outcome. And, most worryingly of all for Wenger, it seemed like mentally his players knew it.

This talented team has been betrayed by its Jekyll and Hyde nature under Wenger for years and these last two games will have raised all the old questions and doubts.

In the 12 seasons since Arsenal last won the title, in only two of those campaigns has the margin between the Gunners and the champions been in single figures. Twice the gap has been more than 20 points - so a systematic pattern has emerged rather than an extended hard luck story.

The gap to Chelsea is already nine points. Arsenal now have home games coming up against West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace. They cannot allow it to get any wider.

collinometricx this seat is for u, i miss u pls come here lets derail small...
Collins where are you?

optional1:
collinometricx this seat is for u, i miss u pls come here lets derail small...

Collins where are you?

I am here miss u too

collinometricx:
I am here miss u too

thank God you fine

Cech can't seem to keep clean sheet these days. Wenger still in charge of Arsenal. COYG! another loss today. Why leave till February what you can do today?

breaking news!!! arsenal's January signing revealed!!

assnal are on a run of defeat, i don't knw hw many they want 2 achieve bt they are going down nw, coyg. we can stil b 4th.

Baby father starting first game of the season

Up Gunners...

Are you fvcking kidding me? This thread is still in page zero? Or is there another thread besides this one?
Where have all the haters gone? Now I know most of our haters are Chelsea and Man U fan.

iya mukina2 why im come take you long; you go fish..Anyway baby daddy no dey hala

draw soup loading up united

Aunty Mukina2 , the draw soup don done

...lyk seriously is arsenal under a curse that cannot be lifted....1-0 ok...so it is only one goal dey can score on a day like dis...i expected a smackdown RAW mode.

Arsenal is good at fucking up on boxing day

abeg is kanu stil playing with arsenal and amokachi?if u abuse me na u sabi

Spiritmask:
draw soup loading
up united

I don hold my Fufu to chop the draw soup once he done

The gunners, please be gone for chelsea to soar high and higher.

Lataaro

Arsenal always messing up during holiday games, not surprising one bit.

If only Arsenal fans could boycott matches the way this thread is empty. Then those Arsenal board members will know that Wenger has to be sacked.

In other news this match will end in a draw.

This soup go make brain

Goallllllllllll

Arsenal self

Obago!!!!

Giroud bangs one in for gunners.

Arsenal 1- 0 West brom

Y Arsenal

Na wa o! people no gree comment. na so the game dull reach.

Boxing Giroud

Goal....

Ozil with the assist....... and Giroud scores
1-0 in favour of Arsenal