Una delusione totale, indeed.

“Realistically, we are out of the competition.” — Arsene Wenger.

Arsene Wenger described last night’s 4-0 defeat as both “shocking” and the team’s worst-ever performance in Europe, by far. One might wonder why Arsene finally chose to throw the whole team under the proverbial bus. Despite an inconsistent season that has fluctuated somewhere on the spectrum between mediocre and truly phenomenal, Arsene has remained resolutely confident that his team would inevitably surge, maximizing its intrinsic potential. At long last, with rumors circulating that Real Madrid was considering Wenger on its short list of potential managers and even England’s national team contemplating using him to replace Capello, Arsene’s mask seems to be slipping off. Perhaps he was experiencing a moment of clarity in which he articulated his assessment of the situation, venting his season’s worth of pent-up frustrations. At best, he was being honest, demonstrating a capacity for playing the realist. At worst, he was guilty of the verbal equivalent of a murder-suicide, euthanising a team whose collective self-confidence was already teetering on the edge.

Wenger’s candor appears to be defensive in nature, as there will be the regular calls for him to step down. Even Arsenal’s old captain, Viera, used Twitter to voice his concerns over Arsenal’s “lack of leadership.” Rather than owning up to his own short-comings, Wenger responded by acknowledging that his team had been outplayed from start to finish, and that for the duration of 90 minutes, there wasn’t even a single moment that Arsenal was actually even in the game. Arsene described the game as a “disaster,” and I’d say that’s appropo.

In regards to potential for the remainder of the season, Arsene expressed sincere doubts. He transitioned from expressing his belief that the team would definitely make it into the top four to expressing concern that the defeat at the hands of AC Milan might have shaken the confidence of the team as a cohesive whole.

There is little probability that the team will overcome the four-goal deficit to finish in fourth. Arsene assessed that the team has somewhere between a two and five percent chance of finishing in the top four, stating the obvious fact that the Gunners do not, in fact, play in a dream world.

For a coach that has consistently warned his team to stay calm and focused, Arsene seems to have forsaken his own advice. If anyone’s confidence is shaken, it appears to be his. Or:  maybe he’s just been faking all along.

Or, another theory: maybe this is all about reverse psychology. Maybe he’s just wanting his Gunners to step up and prove him wrong.

Whatever the case may be, Arsenal fans have more to worry about than this one season or the team’s status in the Champions League. The best Gunners may be more apt to jump ship at the first opportunity, and one can realistically assume Robin van Persie is a step closer to signing with Real Madrid over summer. The most sought after, highly talented prospects may be loathe to consider signing with Arsenal as well. That is, unless Arsene is replaced and the team’s potential for the future improves. No one wants to jump on board a sinking ship.

What doesn’t kill you may make you stronger. But Arsenal fans may consider death preferable to this agony. Let’s hope we see something completely different on Saturday, when Arsenal visits Sunderland.