Arsene Wenger offered an apology to the already mutinous Arsenal fans who had witnessed their side torn apart in Sunday's 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Sections of the travelling support at Anfield chanted against their manager as Arsenal suffered their second defeat in the opening three games of the Premier League season, shipping eight goals.
Wenger signed a new contract at the end of the season despite a rancorous atmosphere among the supporter base that had only been slightly eased by the FA Cup Final win over Chelsea.
Already the positivity of late May has vanished and Wenger is facing further questions about his relationship with the fans, the same examinations that dogged the Frenchman during the early months of 2017.
“I do not want to answer that,” Wenger told Sky Sports when asked about the fan frustration. “That’s part of the crowd feeling.
"If I am the problem, I am sorry, but I believe all together we lose. The only thing we can do is come back and give them a better level of performance."
Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and substitute Daniel Sturridge found the net for Liverpool as Arsenal were dismantled on the counter time and time again.
The defensive effort was not made easier by Wenger’s team selection, which saw him field Hector Bellerin out of position and drop last summer’s £35m central defensive signing Shkodran Mustafi to the bench.
Similarly, Arsenal’s midfield shield of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey, the latter hauled off at the interval, offered no protection to their defence whilst Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were starved of service.
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"The result is a consequence of our performance. We were not good enough. We were beaten everywhere physically,” Wenger admitted. “We made it easier for them, and the mistakes gave them a cushion.
“We came back in the second half, started to dominate the game. The third goal killed us. It was a very disappointing performance.
“I would say of course it was shocking. But I believe our performance on the day was absolutely disastrous.”
