I’m afraid I retreated into my shell somewhat after Sunday’s loss, which I watched in the company of my six-year-old. He glared at me a few times plaintively towards the end. “It’s a good lesson for life”, I said (or I thought about saying, before patting him on the shoulder and muttering something pointlessly unreassuring.)

You will of course find all the critiques you can muster elsewhere, and have no doubt consumed them all (or bypassed them) already. I’m certainly too late to go over it all again.

Above is a Wordle created using some of Wenger’s words here. I have no scientific proof to back my following point up, but it seems to me that these last two seasons, more than before, Wenger has at times used some very honest language post-defeat. Perhaps a combination of exasperation and pressure (or maybe there have just been more defeats to choose from). Who knows, but I’m not sure I’d find many people who’d disagree with the sentiment.

Anyway, I think I can cheer us all up with a picture of Martin Hayes.