Match Reaction: Olympiakos 0-3 Bif

Quote:

Originally Posted by Letters To Santa

What would you accept as evidence for a step up? I've listed endlessly a few signs of hope I see. The signings of people like Ozil, Sanchez and Cech has made a clear difference. We've finally started winning trophies again. Not the biggest prizes yet but it's a start. And some of the results in the last year or so have shown something - a few years ago we wouldn't have won either the away Utd game in the FA Cup or the home game this year. Before the home game this year many were predicting a repeat of previous home games vs Utd where we dominate possession but end up losing, but we blitzed them. Yes, some of those results have been followed by disappointing ones but isn't any season like that? It certainly has been this year for everyone, there has been no standout team this year.
Ultimately we'll only know whether we've stepped up come May - well, maybe earlier if we start to seriously fall out of the title race.

I was endlessly mocked early season for daring to suggest that maybe we should wait till the end of the season to see where we are but it's obvious. This result is a case in point. Do you judge our performance in the CL group stage after 2 games when it was looking like a fiasco or after 6 when we've qualified? Right now we're in the title race and we've qualified for the last 16 of the CL, I think that's a pretty decent season so far. Ultimately we'll only be able to assess the season properly and whether we've made progress or not at the end.

I will concede that we have stepped up only after a period when, rather than pullling the odd decent result out (which we have done for quite a few seasons now) - we show that the problems that have dogged Wenger - lapses in concentration; self-destructing in games we should easily win; converting too few of our chances and replacement players failing to shine, not to mention persistent injuries to key personnel - are being addressed on a consistent basis. And these issues persist despite a significantly weaker challenge from our traditional rivals.

These problems have remained a feature of our season, despite us having better players in some positions. I will not deny that there seem to be green shoots in some areas. But for all these, we are still not in a very significantly different place this season than we have been at times in the past few years. Our team's performance and characteristics over this period invite a healthy and justifiable dose of cynicism. More is needed before we can be convinced that things are really any different now.

Of course, we can only be judged conclusively at the end of the season. Noone is really disputing this - but you have been where you are plenty of times over recent seasons, only for the end result to be underwhelming.