It is often said that the first step towards fixing a problem is to accept that you have one in the first place. Listening to Arsène Wenger in the post-match press conference last night was either to suspect that the manager was blatantly being misleading in his answers or was simply in denial. It was pointed out to him that defensive frailties were not new and that the team had, only a few months earlier, conceded six at Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as five at Liverpool. Wenger replied that it was irrelevant. Different players, he said. Wenger then pointed out that his team had never previously let slip a 3-0 lead. He was right. It was from 4-0 against Newcastle at St James Park in 2010-11 that they were pegged back. You can also watch any number of games involving Arsenal in recent seasons and see that their style makes them vulnerable to rapid attacks. They ride their luck sometimes – as was the case against Anderlecht two weeks ago – but to suggest that there is a not a deeper and repeated vulnerability is surely to ignore reality. In fairness to Wenger, he probably knows it but has simply concluded that openly debating any wider trend will only deepen the mental scars of last night.