Back to Being the Punchline

One of the best parts of last season, apart from finally winning a trophy, was Arsenal's extended run atop the Premier League. Being in first place for so long did a lot to restore a sense of pride among Gooners all over the world. It served as a reminder that our club could challenge for titles again and erased some of the embarrassment factor that accompanied being an Arsenal fan over the better part of the last nine years.

A few shambolic defeats in the second half of the season brought us crashing back to Earth a good deal, but winning the FA Cup made it feel like a successful campaign and raised hopes for more to come. So far this year, that hasn't been the case at all and Tuesday night's 3-3 draw against Anderlecht further reinforced Arsenal's reputation as a laughingstock.

The come-from-behind draw does little damage to our prospects of advancing out of our Champions League group, despite the fact that a win would have clinched our passage to the knockout stage. Dortmund would also still hold a three point lead on us even if we had won. It would have been a major statement to still be in the running to win our group, though. To capitulate in a match that should have been a dominant win and throw away any chance of winning our group at the same time hurts. As a club, we're resigning to the fact that we are clear-cut second favorites in our group and whether that might be true or not, it's disappointing that we didn't earn the results needed to battle that notion until the end.

As for the match, there is no way that being 3-0 up should result in anything other than a win, no matter who the opposition is. The old cliché can be true about the precariousness of a two goal lead, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal to put us up 3-0 should have iced the game. It should be said that Anderlecht's first goal was obviously offside, though allowed to stand by the referee. After that goal, though, we reacted shockingly poorly, as Anderlecht drove the game from then on. The mental toughness that Arsene Wenger praises so often in games we win late or fight to hold on for was nowhere to be found that night.

As gloomy as that draw left me feeling, there are still positive things happening. Alexis Sanchez continues to play absolutely out of his mind and in the form he's in, it appears as though we really have signed a very special player. Some of our players are returning from being maimed, too, with Theo Walcott back in action, Olivier Giroud close to returning to training and Mesut Özil and Mathieu Debuchy making progress as well. Also, full credit should go to Anderlecht, who we should have lost to in our meeting in Belgium. They played us very tough, even while 3-0 down when it's extremely difficult to push on and much easier to give up.

So not all is lost as we prepare to face Swansea on Sunday. It's just that instead of being able to build on a winning streak in all competitions, our confidence will have taken a hit after throwing away a sure win at home to lesser opposition. It remains to be seen if we respond with a passionate, focused performance or if doubt creeps in. Now into November, the same inconsistency Arsenal has shown since the start of the season remains the same.