Poor Arsenal fans.

There must be no other crowd of fanatics in the entire sports universe that endures as much disappointment as those who support the Gunners year after year.

Last season, you might be understanding at seeing the team knocked out by the defending Champions League holders Bayern Munich. After all, this was a team that Arsenal lost to a year ago and one could argue that the Bavarian side was even better in the ensuing season.

But this year? Against a Monaco side that has barely featured in this tournament? Unacceptable. Unbelievable. Utterly painful.

Monaco entered the tie as the winner of its group, but noses would be growing around the globe if anyone really believed that the French side (which lost Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez over the summer) had a chance to take down Arsenal.

A 1-0 loss? Unfortunate for but not the worst thing in the world. A 2-1 defeat? A 2-0 win is still a remote possibility. A 3-1 defeat? It is truly time to panic. It is not over yet, but now Arsenal must head to Monaco and pull off a 3-0 victory to have any hopes of moving on to the round of 16 in the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10. Monaco, meanwhile, can pack in the bus and hold serve for a draw of some kind. The two away goals mean that even a 2-0 loss at home puts the team through to the next round.

So what exactly went wrong in the debacle?

Bad Luck and the Counter

Arsenal dominated possession in this game. The team connected on more passes throughout. The team dominated the aerial game. Arsenal had far more corners throughout the match than Monaco and also led in throw-ins, dribbles and total shots.

In some cases, it was a landslide of domination for the Gunners over Monaco. But when push came to shove, it was a few poor plays on the defensive side and some unfortunate misses on the offensive side that did this team in. Fortunately, the late tally by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has given this team some glimmer of hope.

Monaco, meanwhile, actually had more shots on target than the Gunner and this accounts for their victory. The team's method to taking down the Gunners? Play swiftly on the counter. It worked almost every single time.

Mesut Ozil

Remember last year when the German was considered a superstar and many felt that he would be the missing piece that would lift the Gunners from the depths of mediocrity?

Fast forward to today; who honestly wants to see him start for the red and white now?

Ozil's contributions this season have been minimal to none and his performance in this match was an encapsulation of his work in 2014-15.

Ozil was once known for his tremendously creative offensive instincts, but one look at his statline in this match and one would be remiss to find even a glimmer of that brilliance. Total shots? Zero. Total through balls? None. He contributed next to nothing defensively (not a shock since he is not really expected to) and looked like the true definition of a ghost. Throw in his yellow card and you have a greater issue.

It is hugely disconcerting and may be a sign for Arsene Wenger (who might find this defeat to be the proverbial writing on the wall) that it is time to move on from the unstable German.

Is There Any Hope?

 

If this performance is any indication, Arsenal will need a lot of luck and some deep soul-searching to keep its Champions League hopes alive. This is almost as bad as it can get for any team in this competition, especially on home turf. Arsenal was the clear favorite to take a victory on its home field, but to get virtually blown out is not going to give this team any kind of confidence boost.

That said, this team needs to chase this next game with all it has. It should have settled for a 2-1 defeat and then worked for a 2-0 win on the road. But Wenger did not make the appropriate adjustments and now has to play a riskier match against a team that demolished the Gunners on the counter with relative ease.