Dortmund defeat, not routine EPL wins, shows us why Arsenal are title contenders

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on October 26, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Everybody was gushing to load praise on Arsenal this past weekend after their convincing performance in a 2-0 victory over lowly Crystal Palace. The same comments were thrown around when the Gunners took to Carrow Road a week ago and embarrassed Norwich 4-1.

Sure enough, the Gunners have played some sensational football in back to back Premier League games. At times, they played around both Palace and Norwich as if they weren’t even there.

Jack Wilshere’s opening goal against Norwich, which was beautifully assisted by Olivier Giroud, has been hailed by some as one of the best goals ever scored in the Premier League. When you watch it, it’s hard to argue otherwise. You could swap Cazorla, Wilshere and Giroud in that move for Messi, Iniesta and Xavi and no-one would tell the difference.

However, regardless of how it looks on the cameras, beating Crystal Palace and Norwich does not prove that you are a title contender. These are wins that should be treated as routine, not exceptional.

Palace even managed to make Fulham look good on Monday Night Football last week, categorically losing the game 4-0. This is the same Fulham side who just put in perhaps the worst performance of any Premier League side so far this season in their 2-0 loss to Southampton on Saturday night.

Let’s face it, Crystal Palace and Norwich’s scalps don’t really mean a great deal in Arsenal’s collection.

(Side-Bar: That goes for Manchester United fans too, who suddenly woke up from hibernation on social media this weekend after a relatively unimpressive smash and grab victory over Stoke at Old Trafford. Sorry Red Devils, but a win like that is no cause for celebration for a supposed title contending team. Maybe call back when you’ve beaten somebody worth mentioning.)

The better performance, perversely, was actually a loss. The Gunners’ Champions League loss to German outfit Borussia Dortmund last Tuesday, to be more specific. The comments after that game read quite differently to those that came forward after the Palace and Norwich victories.

You would have thought from reading the reaction of the outside world, fans and experts alike, that the loss signalled the beginning of what has become known as the classic Arsenal collapse.

The reaction was perhaps understandable. This is Arsenal we’re talking about. Their collapse each year seems as inevitable as the coming of winter in England. What’s more, the loss ended the Gunner’s impressive 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

However, only by reading the scoreline could anyone possibly think that Tuesday night’s defeat signalled some sort of collapse for the Gunners. The truth is quite different. The team as a whole played incredibly well despite falling 2-1 courtesy of a late Robert Lewandowski goal in the 82nd minute. It was one of the best performances Arsene Wenger’s side have put in all season.

To appreciate what Arsenal did, we need to look past the result and consider the opposition here. This was Borussia Dortmund. This was last year’s Champions League finalist. This is the team that has won eight of its 10 matches in the Bundesliga this season, a team that currently stands only one point behind the seemingly invincible Bayern Munich in the race for the German title. Dortmund are one of the best teams in the world.

And the Gunners held their own.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud of Arsenal react after Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund (not pictured) scored their second goal during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

In fact, that might be doing them a disservice. Arsene Wenger’s side more than held their own. For large chunks of Tuesday’s game, Arsenal were in control and in truth, they didn’t look like they were going to concede. Once the mistake came from Aaron Ramsey on 15 minutes to gift the German side the lead, the team showed great character to get back into a game that could have gotten out of their control.

Through Mezut Ozil, Wilshere and later Santi Cazorla, they kept pushing forward playing their attractive brand of football. After the equaliser came courtesy of Olivier Giroud’s strike on 40 minutes, the Gunners remained positive. They could have even taken the lead on the hour mark; Santi Cazorla’s curling effort couldn’t stay low enough and struck the top of the bar.

After that came the bad luck, as Dortmund broke in a counter attack to go on and score the winning goal with what was only their first shot of the second half. It was a cruel blow to an Arsenal side who had really given the game everything it had.

On another night, Arsenal could have won this match. They finished as the statistically better team, dominated possession over their German counterparts, and ultimately had the better of the chances.

Jonathan Wilson, writing for Sports Illustrated online, said that “Although [Arsenal] had to overcome a flurry of Dortmund pressure at the beginning of each half…it came back to have the better of the end of both halves, even if it did end up being caught on the break.”

The home loss, after playing so well for so long, will no doubt leave a sour taste in the mouths of Arsenal fans everywhere. But the silver lining is bigger than the cloud in this instance. They proved they can hang with the very best in the world and remain competitive, and they even perhaps deserved to win the game after the lacklustre opening 20 minutes. Olivier Giroud proved that he can fire goals against absolutely everybody, and there is no slowing him down this season.

They also proved for the most part that they have a legitimate defence. Dortmund didn’t have a shot in the second half until their 82nd minute winner. On the whole, the team held their own defensively against the top scorers in German football (although that might not be saying that much considering they award goals in Germany even if you don’t score).

So if one delves a little deeper than simply reading the scoreline, there is real positivity in Tuesday’s loss for Arsenal. They played against one of the top three or four sides in the world, and they could easily have won the game. Just as Chelsea’s credibility was raised following their showing in the Super Cup loss to Bayern earlier this year, so should Arsenal’s after their late loss to Dortmund.

Stop instinctively reaching for the panic buttons, Arsenal fans. The hype around your team is real. Not because you can beat Crystal Palace 2-0. Not because you beat Norwich 4-1. Those wins prove nothing. It is because you stood toe-to-toe in the ring with a Champions League heavyweight favourite, and you went the full twelve rounds.

Despite the loss, your team showed that they are ready, finally, to compete for trophies once again. And in their brutal next four fixtures, against Liverpool, Chelsea (Capital One Cup), Dortmund and Manchester United, the Gunners are going to prove that beyond any doubt.