Arsenal might have gone too early.
Before we continue, let's put in place all the usual caveats. We are lacking our attacking conductor (Martin Odegaard), we have been largely without a fully fit Kai Havertz, and the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world.
But after 10 changes were made to the team on Wednesday, the majority of key players were rested. As it was, we limped out of Leverkusen with a 1-1 draw.
In Arsenal's case, a bit of emotional deprioritisation in Europe is understandable. The title challenge is absorbing most of the energy from fans and players, which is fair enough. It's brutal.
Alexis Mac Allister called it “murder”, and Liverpool won the league in a procession last season.
Arsenal have had to deal with the pressure of being chased by the much heralded blue juggernaut that has dominated English football for the past 10 years – not to mention the albatross of not winning it since 2004, "second again, ole ole" ringing out around every stadium we set foot in.
But that's not the case in Europe, and it showed in Arsenal's absolute dominance of the league phase. This Leverkusen fixture was an opportunity on two fronts – first, to take this favourable draw by the scruff of the neck and use it to provide respite in a busy season, and secondly, to progress in a competition that is desperately hard to win and deeply prestigious.
In short, Arsenal are betwixt and between. The line-up was good enough to go and win that game. But the quality of the players is irrelevant if they don't play to their full ability.
Since we took the lead against Chelsea, you could have been forgiven, glancing at Arsenal’s past four games, for thinking it was late in the game and we were defending a lead.
But we're not there yet. In the context of the season, how we're playing is the equivalent of dropping deep in the 60th minute. It's too soon to dip for the line.
This Champions League draw is an opening we might wait years for again. We must find a way to take the initiative.
Find more from Scarlet Katz Roberts at the Goal Difference podcast
