The words that clanged in the immediate aftermath were “mentally very jaded” and, if Arsène Wenger chose them with reference to his players and the specifics of a dismal second-half breakdown, the truth is that phrase is applicable at Arsenal Football Club with a significantly broader brush. The dictionary definition of jaded feels piercingly critical: dulled or satiated by overindulgence; worn out or wearied; dissipated.
Jaded seemed to be everywhere for the beleaguered visitors in Munich – in the all too familiar image of Alexis Sánchez down on his haunches staring into space; in Mesut Özil, promised enormous financial rewards to sign a contract extension that he is yet to autograph but failing to influence another big away game; in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain actually jumping up and down with frustration that Bayern were able to so easily toy with predictably fragile, dazed, sorry opponents; in the disillusioned outpourings of fans who travel to the toughest assignments without much expectation; in the board sitting quietly powerless as they watch; in Wenger himself, looking hollowed out at the end of it all.
Related: Obsession over who can fill Arsène Wenger’s shoes obscures Arsenal’s real problems | Toby Moses
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