A reporter pressed further, asking whether two consecutive heavy losses to Liverpool might shake the squad's confidence in the title race.
Wenger shook his head slowly. "Disappointment is inevitable. But collapse? Never.
We did well in the first half of the season. We've simply hit a rough patch lately; this kind of setback was bound to come in a long campaign. The players have taken a knock to their spirit, yes. But I believe in them. I'll see them through it. I'll help them out of this shadow as quickly as I can."
On the subject of Liverpool, Wenger was generous in his praise.
"Liverpool's progress this season has been plain for everyone to see. Klopp has built an extremely competitive side. Whether you're talking about the starting eleven or the depth of the bench, they have everything it takes to challenge for multiple trophies. Their performance today proved exactly how strong they are, and they deserve every word of praise coming their way."
Finally, Wenger returned to his central message.
"As head coach, I take full responsibility for the team's results for these defeats. And I will lead this squad back. In the matches ahead, we'll make targeted adjustments, close the gaps, and give everything to every game that's left. Arsenal has never lacked the courage to start again from scratch. I believe in my players. I ask the fans to keep believing in us."
But no amount of dignified resolve could quiet the storm.
Two heavy defeats to the Reds in quick sequence and a 0–3 home humiliation at that sent shockwaves through the football world. The rout didn't merely knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup; it ignited a firestorm of opinion.
In the aftermath, the verdict came from all directions: major sports outlets, fan forums, retired legends, and pundits of every band. Almost all of them were discussing the same thing: the fallout from this result.
The consensus was grim.
Arsenal, the pundits declared, had officially begun to crumble.
Their title challenge was over.
The Daily Trail ran a piece that cut straight to the bone,
"From Premier League leaders to back-to-back humiliations in ten days, Arsenal have fallen from peak to pit at breathtaking speed. The red card and the thrashings haven't just torn through their defensive line; they've shattered their will to fight for the title. Being a man down is an excuse. The gap in mentality and quality tells a different story, one that makes a title challenge impossible this season."
Michael Owen, the former England international who had only retired the last summer, weighed in on social media:
"The dominance Liverpool showed today is simply beyond Arsenal. The Gunners' form right now puts even a top-four finish in doubt, let alone a title. The collapse is irreversible."
The fan commentary was an ocean full of condemnation.
Against this chorus of despair around Arsenal, the praise directed at Liverpool was thunderous.
Everyone agreed: this was a team with a champion's aura and demeanour. Klopp's tactical system was maturing with every week, and the squad depth was the envy of the Premier League.
Julien's performance, in particular, became the central point of the talk. In his debut season in English football, he had displayed a maturity and dominance that far exceeded his years, from goals, hold-up play to creative linking, he did it all.
More than a few commentators said along:
"Julien is making history. For a new arrival to become the fulcrum of his team's attack in his very first season, driving Liverpool toward the Premier League title—that is extraordinarily rare in this league. If they win it, he will be the greatest single reason why. He'll have made history."
Inevitably, the heat of public opinion circled back to Arsenal and to Wenger.
The most extreme elements of the fanbase took to social media, calling for his head.
Someone posted a photograph of themselves holding a banner that read: WENGER OUT!!!
Threads lit up on fan forums: "Nine years without a trophy. Back-to-back hammerings. What right does this manager have to stay at Arsenal? Get out. Give the club a chance to be reborn."
Another fan vented, "We threw away every advantage we'd built in the first half of the season. Rigid tactics, wrong selections. Wenger's stubbornness has destroyed this Arsenal."
But the counter-voices were just as loud.
Long-standing supporters and figures from the game pushed back.
"Don't forget—when Wenger signed his contract extension, every single one of you cheered. You said he deserved the trust. You said only he could lead Arsenal out of the wilderness. Now after two defeats, you're baying for his dismissal. That is shameful."
"He is a manager who made history with this club. The Invincibles. Multiple Champions League semi-finals. He is the reason Arsenal reached the heights they did. You cannot erase all of that because of a difficult phase."
The debate between the two sides erupted fiercely and continued.
Those opposed to Wenger fired back: "History is the past. No one gets to rest on their laurels forever. The fact is, Wenger has gone nine years without delivering a single major trophy. His tactical philosophy is behind the times. Against a side like Liverpool, Arsenal were powerless. That record does not justify keeping him."
The Wenger defenders answered in kind: "You look at nine years without a title and see only failure. You ignore what the club was dealing with financially. Arsenal were constrained by the stadium construction, by years of fiscal austerity—there was almost no money for major signings.
For Wenger to use limited resources and still keep Arsenal in the Premier League's top two is a remarkable achievement. Bring in any other manager and tell me honestly—would they do better? The problems facing this club have never been Wenger's alone."
The argument fed on itself, growing louder and more fractious by the hour.
Across the city, Liverpool had not let the noise in.
At Melwood training ground, the rhythm of daily work continued as it always had.
During a rest break, the players gathered together to hydrate and talk. The topic of the title naturally surfaced, and the mood was light as the squad was in the form of their lives, and it was impossible to hide the excitement that came with it.
"The momentum is unreal right now," Sterling said, grinning. "As long as we hold this, the title is ours."
Gerrard was more restrained. "Don't get complacent. There are still over ten games to go. Jürgen's right—until we lift that trophy, we've got nothing to celebrate. Not a single game can be taken lightly. Everything we've worked for is on the line."
The room agreed without hesitation.
Julien nodded. "Exactly. Every opponent is watching us now, waiting for us to slip. Chelsea and Arsenal won't give up that easily. We have to stay grounded and take it one step at a time."
On the touchline, Klopp was the same meticulous, demanding presence he always was. He paced back and forth, watching every player with close attention, gesturing here and there, correcting the small details of their movements.
The league lead had changed nothing about the rigour of his preparation.
After a brief adjustment period in training, Matchday 27 of the Premier League arrived on schedule.
Liverpool hosted Swansea at Anfield.
Riding their momentum and well-drilled cohesion, the Reds seized control from the first whistle, pressing forward and giving their opponents no room to breathe.
Just twelve minutes in, Julien held the ball in central midfield, drawing defenders before threading a precise pass out wide to Coutinho. The Brazilian cut inside and laid it across the face of goal where Suárez arrived on the back post and rolled it home.
1–0.
Liverpool never loosened their grip.
On the 35th minute, Gerrard launched a thunderous long-range drive that found the top corner. 2–0.
In the second half, Swansea pulled one back on the counter, but Liverpool's response was swift and decisive, Julien and Sturridge both found the net before the final whistle.
4–1.
A comfortable, dominant victory.
Elsewhere in the league, Chelsea edged out Norwich 1–0 on the road, Ivanović with the only goal; Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2–0 at home, grinding out three points in an attempt to arrest their recent decline.
When the dust settled on Matchday 27, the top of the table remained unchanged in character if not in margin.
Liverpool, 64 points—first.
Chelsea, 60 points—second.
Arsenal, 59 points—third.
A dominant win. The momentum held. The belief deepened.
The players stayed composed in the dressing room, offering the same standardised message to reporters afterwards: very pleased, still plenty of work to do, must keep our focus.
The fans, naturally, had no such restraint.
After the match, the celebrations spread through pubs, forums, and street corners all across the city. The talk always came back to the same thing—this attack, this unstoppable, relentless attack.
"Name me one team that can stop us right now. 4–1 today. 3–0 against Arsenal before that. De Rocca, Suárez, Sturridge taking turns to bury them. De Bruyne, Gerrard, Coutinho pulling strings in the middle. This front line is a nightmare for the entire Premier League."
"Outside of Chelsea and City, nobody has an answer for us. This version of Liverpool is on a different level."
"The goal output is terrifying with nearly three per game on average. Julien's scoring records in his debut season are obscene. Suárez is on fire. Sturridge is back. Even in rotation, Coutinho steps up. With this attack, the title is a question of when, not if."
One fan laughed and said, "Opponents must see our forward line on the team sheet and just start mentally preparing for the loss. Chelsea and City can maybe hold on—everyone else is just waiting to be run over."
Then, on the morning after the win, a news came like a cold shock.
Suárez was injured.
He had taken a knock on the ankle during the Swansea match due to an opponent's foot producing a bad tackle. He hadn't made much of it at the time. But the next day in training, he caught the same spot.
He was examined. The diagnosis confirmed it: he would be out for some time.
The moment the news broke, the celebrating fell quiet.
Because the next match was four days away.
The League Cup Final.
Liverpool's first realistic chance at silverware this season and Suárez wouldn't be there.
"You're joking. Luis's injured now?" one supporter wrote, the disbelief was raw in his words. "The League Cup Final is right around the corner. The opponent is Man City. Without him, how much does our attack suffer?"
Others tried to hold their nerve. "It's gutting, but we have the depth. Julien and Sturridge are still there. Coutinho can step in. We'll manage."
There was also, at least, good news to balance against the bad: Skrtel had recovered from injury. He had been back in training for several days and would be available for selection going forward.
It eased the worry somewhat though it didn't stop the jokes.
"Skrtel finally fit again! But honestly after being out all this time, he might come back and find Van Dijk has taken his place and never intends to give it back. The man has been an absolute rock back there. His partnership with Agger gets better every week."
Another fan couldn't resist sending a meme with picture:
"Skrtel returning like: 'I'm back and ready.'
Van Dijk: 'Sorry, mate. I live here now.'"
In the days before the final, Klopp sat down with the media.
When asked whether Suárez's injury would disrupt Liverpool's preparations, he answered calmly. "Luis' absence is a loss, that's no question. He is a vital part of our attack and we will all miss him.
But I'm not worried. This squad has the depth to handle it. We have players of the same quality who can fill that role, Julien, Daniel, Philippe—any of them can carry the offensive burden."
He continued, "We are fully prepared for this final. Whatever adjustments we make to the lineup, we will play our football and fight with everything we have for that trophy.
Injuries are part of the game. None of us enjoy them but when they happen, all you can do is accept it, and then go out and perform. That's exactly what we'll do."
As the League Cup Final against Manchester City drew near, the match had become the dominant story in English football as it was a single game that could define Liverpool's season.
The Timez noted the particular weight this fixture carried for Klopp: since taking charge of Liverpool mid-season, this was the moment he had come closest to his first piece of silverware in England.
The Daily Belegraph wrote:
"In his debut season in the Premier League, Julien De Rocca has already conquered his audience. He became the engine of Liverpool's attack with goals, link-up play, the ability to unlock any defence.
He has carried Liverpool to the summit of the table and to the threshold of a trophy. Should Liverpool win this final against Manchester City, it would be the first major honour of Julien's professional career, a defining milestone for a young man who seems destined for an extraordinary future."
But the shadow of Suárez's injury gave the narrative its tension, and the press made sure of it.
The Guardian Angel had posted:
"Suárez's injury is an undeniable setback in Liverpool's preparations. Klopp showed confidence in the interview room, pointing to squad depth as the answer but what cannot be denied is that Suárez is irreplaceable within this system."
Most outlets echoed the same concern. His numbers across the Premier League and FA Cup spoke for themselves from goals, assists, decisive moments at critical junctures.
His awareness in the box, his movement, his chemistry with his teammates, especially Suárez had broken deadlocks for Liverpool time and again this season. Against a top-tier opponent like City, that composure and finishing ability would have been a trump card.
Skies Sports was the most direct,
"Suárez's absence raises the stakes considerably. Liverpool have been unstoppable going forward—they put three past Arsenal without breaking a sweat but City's defensive structure is a completely different proposition, and their attacking firepower is formidable.
Without Suárez as the pivotal point, the questions land straight on De Rocca and Sturridge: can they carry this?
The answer to that question may as well decide the trophy."
Other outlets were more balanced, acknowledging the uncertainty while still backing Liverpool.
The squad depth of Liverpool was obvious: Coutinho and Sterling could both step up, Klopp's tactical precision was not in doubt, and Julien's consistency had been one of the stories of the season.
In particular, Liverpool had already beaten City in the league this year and that gave them something no amount of analysis could quantify.
A psychological edge.
The noise from the outside world didn't reach Melwood.
On the eve of the final, as Klopp delivered his last pre-match words to the squad, Suárez stood at the edge of the pitch in his training gear with a support brace on his leg watching with an expression that was difficult to decipher.
When Klopp finished, the players began to disperse and then they noticed him.
Julien was the first to move. He walked straight over, lowering his voice. "Luis, how are you feeling? Any improvement?"
Suárez gave a wry, helpless smile and shook his head. "Same as before. Doctor says I will have to rest minimum two weeks."
He let out a low breath. "Such a terrible timing. The worst possible timing. We're this close to a trophy and I'm standing on the sideline watching. It's honestly suffocating."
He waved his hand, the regret in his eyes was overflowing.
Julien said nothing for a moment.
He understood, better than most, what it felt like to be stranded on the outside by injury. He had been through it more times than he cared to remember.
________________________________________________________
Check out my p@treon where you can read more chapters:
[email protected]/LorianFiction
Thanks for your support!