Having got over the mental hurdle that was a trip to Sutton United in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday, Arsenal can now take a step back from the limelight with a bit of time off.
The Gunners are not back in action until March thanks to Southampton’s involvement in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, who they were set to face on the south coast this coming weekend.
The gap in fixtures comes at a timely moment for manager Arsene Wenger, who has been under more pressure than ever before to call it a day in north London, after over two decades in charge.
Defeats against Watford and runaway leaders Chelsea in the league meant that the least that Gunners fans needed from their heroes when they returned to a familiar Champions League round of 16 tie with Bayern Munich was a respectable performance, and they got one, for about 30 minutes.
Wenger’s side looked well in the game before Laurent Koscielny was forced off with injury and then crisis struck. The visitors capitulated and Bayern ran away with a 5-1 aggregate lead to bring to The Emirates on 7th March.
The successive losses and woeful performances made the Sutton tie a lot more important than it needed be, however, it was a test that the side managed to pass and can now put behind them.
Going into their break on a the back of a win, regardless of who it was against, puts the squad in a much better place than if they had gone into it straight from the debacle in Munich. Wenger must now use these two weeks to ensure his players are fully focussed and understand what is expected from them, as representatives of Arsenal.
It is not often that you would see those in a Manchester United shirt put a string of performances in as the Gunners have in recent weeks, and get away with it. Whilst United are the bigger club, in terms of the Premier League era there is not much to separate to two clubs, so why should the standards be any different?
The likes of Laurent Koscielny, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla, although injured, should be able to impart on young players and new additions just what it means to wear an Arsenal shirt week in, week out, and what is expected of them if they are to keep hold of that shirt.
Wenger must utilise the time away from the spotlight to ensure that these values are hammered into his squad so they can come into the Liverpool game, in which they will want to gain revenge for an opening day 4-3 defeat, firing on all cylinders and perhaps he should stick with in-form man Lucas Perez to deliver the goods against Klopp’s side who are teetering at this time and are ready to be picked off.
Use the time off wisely and, although Champions League progression looks out of sight, Arsenal could make a real fist of the Premier League and FA Cup run-in.