Arsenal’s Head of Football Raul Sanllehi made a candid remark last autumn. As his team chalked up a 22-match unbeaten run, he observed: ‘Performance has probably not been at the level of the results,’ Sanllehi, a football man schooled at Barcelona, could see that Arsenal were winging it. There were some good moments undoubtedly and the 4-2 win over Tottenham represented Unai Emery’s zenith thus far in England.
But Sanllehi could see that winter was coming. On a grey, cold day at the London Stadium amidst the post-Christmas gloom, Arsenal confronted the reality of a bleak midwinter. And whether they have hunkered down and put away enough reserves to sustain them is highly debateable.