'Masters of their own downfall' - is Arsenal form just a blip?

As Arsenal embarked connected a customary thigh astir nan transportation aft their Champions League conclusion by Lyon, location was a palpable aerial of frustration.

Winless successful their past four. Five points adrift of nan apical domestically. Struggling to support cleanable sheets.

The squad who were thrilling winners of this title successful May person mislaid their separator for now.

Losing 2-1 to eight-time European champions Lyon is not a worrisome consequence successful isolation - location is plentifulness of clip to dress up for this opening setback and advancement from nan convention shape to nan knockout rounds.

But it compounds a consciousness that Arsenal are experiencing a "blip" and request to nip it successful nan bud earlier it becomes much than that.

This is nan first clip that caput coach Renee Slegers has faced immoderate important pressure, successful position of disappointing results, and she will request to oversee a accelerated reversal successful shape if Arsenal are to get their play backmost connected track.

Less than a period ago, nan emotion astir Arsenal was very different: they hit London City 4-1 successful their opening convention crippled and past thrashed West Ham 5-1.

Since then, they haven't won a game.

"They started nan first mates of games scoring tons of goals and past conscionable errors person been their issue," erstwhile Leeds striker Lucy Ward said connected Disney+.

"They haven't had nan consistency, they haven't managed games right. Even successful nan WSL, wherever it's not nan level of nan likes of Lyon, they are punished."

Striker Alessia Russo, who scored earlier Arsenal fto their lead descent astatine Meadow Park, acknowledged things are going incorrect but highlighted affirmative moments.

"I deliberation astatine nan infinitesimal we're successful a spot of a blip, but we're alert of that," she told Disney+. "I deliberation astatine times coming we saw what we're tin of, but it's conscionable astir doing that and making judge we get results arsenic well."

Russo added: "We person to beryllium realistic. We cognize it's a agelong play ahead, afloat of highs and lows. You tin ne'er get excessively precocious aliases excessively low.

"We've sewage to support pushing ourselves because we don't for illustration losing, we don't for illustration being successful moments for illustration this."

The guidance to Arsenal's conclusion by Lyon told a communicative which is becoming each excessively familiar.

"Masters of their ain downfall," said 74-cap England guardant Nikita Parris.

"You cannot person errors astatine this level and not expect to beryllium punished," said Ward.

Melchie Dumornay scored doubly successful 5 minutes midway done nan first half to group up Lyon's victory.

Both goals were intelligibly avoidable, pinch nan first coming aft Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar haplessly pushed nan shot into her path, and nan 2nd arising from a misplaced walk connected nan separator of nan location punishment area.

Misplaced passes were besides a regular taxable successful nan 3-2 conclusion by Manchester City astatine nan weekend.

But those are not nan only flaws successful Arsenal's crippled astatine present.

They did not capitalise connected chances to widen their early lead and past conceded successful second-half stoppage clip arsenic they were held to a 1-1 tie by Aston Villa successful nan convention past month.

They did not nutrient capable clear chances successful their 0-0 stalemate pinch Manchester United.

That they are lacking England skipper Leah Williamson astatine nan backmost pursuing a knee wounded successful nan Lionesses' Euro 2025 triumph is not helping their protect efforts, either.

"There is simply a pattern," erstwhile England guardant Sue Smith said connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "I still deliberation it's mini margins. I deliberation that crippled could've gone either way.

"If nan correction from nan goalkeeper doesn't happen, past do Arsenal proceed to progress? They were 1-0 up and I thought they looked beautiful comfortable.

"It's making judge defensively you're sound and don't make mistakes, and past successful nan last third, tin you person a small much value erstwhile nan shot comes in?"

The truth it appears to beryllium isolated errors which are proving costly gives Arsenal immoderate dream that location is simply a clear way to reviving their campaign.

Captain Kim Little said aft nan lucifer that nan squad "cannot ever beryllium cleanable each of nan time".

"We're successful a little abstraction conscionable now pinch nan existent form, but we'll travel backmost stronger. We spell into our convention fixture astatine nan play for a large 3 points," Little told Disney+.

Understandably, Slegers said her broadside are "not happy" pinch their form, but their acquisition which led to winning this title past twelvemonth gives them logic to stay positive.

They lacked a cutting separator successful onslaught and only managed half arsenic galore shots arsenic Lyon, but they besides mislaid 2-1 to nan French broadside successful nan first limb of nan semi-final successful this title past twelvemonth and bounced backmost to triumph nan 2nd crippled 4-1 successful France.

There is nary 2nd limb this time, pinch this a group shape game, but Arsenal will look to rebound each nan aforesaid astatine nan first opportunity.

"The important point is that we negociate it really good and we springiness guidance moving guardant and guidelines strong," said Slegers. "The affirmative point is that we person beardown instauration successful a taste position and a shot perspective.

"We request to support connected believing successful that accuracy and it gave america a batch past year. When it starts clicking, we cognize really bully we are."

Should they neglect to hit Brighton successful nan convention connected Sunday (14:30 BST), they will person gone a period without a win.

"I deliberation there's tons to it," Russo said of Arsenal's slump. "I think, first and foremost, we request to look astatine ourselves and really we tin push our standards. We're sometimes letting teams get attacks connected america by our ain mistakes.

"We request to return accountability, we request to attraction connected what we tin do to power that from everyone. It's each crossed nan pitch. There's moments successful that that were really affirmative truthful we'll thin connected that and get fresh for Sunday."

It was astatine nan commencement of nan crippled wherever Arsenal were astatine their best, getting an early extremity and showing their attacking qualities, but they could not prolong it.

"In nan first 20-25 minutes, they started nan crippled [well], nan extremity that they scored... but it is good margins," added Smith. "And if you make a mates of errors against a top-quality broadside for illustration Lyon, past they will punish you.

"In nan last third, they conscionable needed to beryllium a spot better, much clinical. But surely positives to take."