MOKBEL: Arsenal's promising season is now just ONE game from falling apart

Crisis? Not quite. It will be, though, if Arsenal lose to Wolves on Saturday.

A week that had promised so much has spawned nothing but pain. A total nightmare.

Defeat at home to Aston Villa on Sunday night and now a Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.

The damage caused by a defeat at Molineux could be irreparable.

The remnants of nights like the one suffered here in Munich last night aren’t easy to shake off.

The highs of Champions League are lofty. It’s the pinnacle for modern day players, success in Europe means everything to this generation of footballers.

Equally, the lows are crushing. Recovering can take time. But time is exactly what Arsenal don’t have.

How Mikel Arteta rallies his forlorn men ahead of what has now become a crucial clash at Molineux shouldn’t be underestimated.

The next 48 hours will be tough. Physically two games in four days will take it’s tolls, particularly towards the end of a gruelling season.

But, perhaps more pertinently, the players will be psychologically exhausted.

They’ll need love and care. They are excellent players; Arteta won’t go far wrong by reinforcing his belief in this group ahead of the weekend.

But even that may not be enough for the wounds to heal sufficiently enough to produce what is required at Wolves.

How Arteta approaches the next couple of days could make or break a season that is in danger of falling apart.

This group of Arsenal players are in unchartered territory, they’ve not suffered Champions League heartbreak like this before.

In years to come, if the trajectory of their improvement continues, they’ll get used to bouncing back from these sort of disappointments.

But right now, the rapid evolution of this Arsenal side means they are learning as they go.

However, without a response at Wolves on Saturday, then their season will be on its knees.

The questions over Arsenal’s mentality at the business end of the season will linger after this loss here at the Allianz Arena.

They fell apart last season when going for the Premier League title. The story was similar in 2022 when going for a top-four finish.

It looks and feels like the wheels are coming off at the worst possible time once more.

Yet, with all that said, victory at Wolves will breathe life into a season that has suffered a serious wobble.

That is what Arteta will be banking on.

Defeat, however, and all those with Arsenal connections will be fearing the worst. Again.