Arsenal FC: Why the Gunners' Defeat to Liverpool Is Blown out of Proportion

Arsenal's first defeat of the season came a lot quicker than we would've expected, and it was also a lot harsher than most Arsenal supporters would've liked.

But let's go back a few matches. After a well-fought draw at Newcastle and a close win against Udinese, Arsenal's season wasn't seeming as gloomy as others thought it would be. Skeptics were doubting that the Gunners would achieve any success this season, so expectations were low.

But Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates recast that cloud of doubt over North London, and skeptics were once again pumping out negative comments about Arsenal and their stubborn manager.

I will admit, the loss was tough to swallow. Arsenal supporters were hoping that they could get a much-needed result against Liverpool, proving that fluid football beats £100 million signings, and giving Gooners something to be proud about.

But that result never came. Arsenal started to get their bearings by the end of the first half, and when the second half kicked off they were looking much more dangerous, dominating possession and having some good chances on goal.

But once Emmanuel Frimpong got his second yellow card and was sent off, Arsenal fans knew that there was little hope for the remaining 20 minutes. The frail defense was being held together just by a thread, that thread being Thomas Vermaelen, with Ignasi Miquel and Carl Jenkinson depending on the Belgian international.

And then there was the questionable decision of Arsene Wenger putting Henri Lansbury on for Andrei Arshavin. Why Lansbury? Why not the £12 million Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, or "the Japanese Ronaldo," Ryo Miyaichi? 

At this point, myself and probably all other Arsenal supporters were asking ourselves: how could this get any worse?

So that's when Bendtner came on, and our question was immediately answered.

The Gunners looked harmless on attack for the last ten minutes, and conceded another goal which just added insult to injury. On a rainy day in North London, it seemed like the end of the world to Arsenal fans, and it was only the second match of the season. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was pondering thoughts like "what if we get relegated?" and "what if we have to play in the Europa League?"

But after letting today's result sink in, I realized that, like Arsene Wenger said in his press conference, "it is not all doom and gloom."

In my opinion, Arsenal's defeat to Liverpool has been completely blown out of proportion by the media, by fans, and by just about everyone.

At the end of the match it was practically 10-man Arsenal reserves against Liverpool FC's strongest 11. Of course that may seem like an exaggeration, but not by much. Arsenal did have four players out on the pitch who were just making their Premier League debuts, and it's not easy just to dive right into the deep end in a feisty clash against a rejuvenated Liverpool side.

In fact, the result was just about what one would expect. If you look at the two squad sheets, Liverpool clearly had more world class players on the pitch. It was the Reds' multimillion dollar transfers versus Arsenal youth.

But sadly, that's not Arsenal's fault. The Gunners' ideal starting 11 would undoubtedly have looked better than Liverpool's, and had Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Gervinho, Kieran Gibbs and Laurent Koscielny been playing for the full 90 minutes, Arsenal arguably would have taken three points from this match. I won't even get started on the offsides goal...

I can go on forever with "if onlys" and "what ifs," but they're really no use. As most people know, Arsenal supporters in particular, football is a cruel and unfair game. We can't control injuries or the referees' decisions, so all we can do is suck it up and hope for the better in our next match.

The press has already blown Arsenal's defeat out of proportion, with headlines making it seem as if Arsenal is going to fail to record a win and finish dead last. The Gunners still have 36 league matches to play, and Arsene Wenger certainly has the power to turn Arsenal's form around (ironically, that's exactly what Liverpool did under Kenny Dalglish).

Wenger can start this turnaround and make skeptics shut up by having Arsenal qualify for the Champions League with a win against Udinese on Wednesday night.

Come on you Gunners...