Looking back on Arsenal's match with Manchester United on Sunday, it's hard not to have some sympathy. But once again, despite their excellent performance, the Gunners faltered. And the reason is that they lost their cool.

It was always going to be a tough job for Arsene Wenger to rebuild his entire team when veterans Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Lauren all left the club. With little money to spend, he has been pretty much forced to give first-team places to a bunch of emerging youngsters from different parts of the world.

Despite the many comments to the contrary, Wenger proved that he is an ingenious craftsman. During the current Premier League campaign Arsenal have shone brilliantly to keep the sprits of their fans high.

'With the pressure mounting from disgruntled fans, the Gunners' intensity has adversely affected their ability to play the free-flowing football they are famous for'


January's Africa Cup of Nations could not halt their early winning streak. However, injuries to players such as Robin Van Persie and Eduardo have played their part in adversely affecting the psychological composure of the players.

Lately, Arsenal’s frustrations have become all too obvious - even the usually-pragmatic Wenger has boiled over. They started to lose their grip with the 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford in the FA Cup. It was a serious psychological blow and the starting point for a succession of draws and defeats.

The only sign of a comeback was against Bolton when they showed they still have what it takes - even when playing with only ten men.

Arsenal could not keep up their form basically because of their desperation to win. With the pressure mounting from disgruntled fans, the Gunners' intensity has adversely affected their ability to play the free-flowing Football they are famous for.

It is almost like they have been trying too hard.

Such desperation to win will only trigger frustration - as evidenced by a recent explosion in the amount of yellow and red cards. On Sunday six yellow cards were shown to Arsenal players and just two to Man United.

This glut of bookings can be attributed to psychological frustrations emanating from their desperation to win. The Arsenal players should be trying to demonstrate their fighting spirit in a more relaxed way.

The memory of the great "Invincibles" team from 2003-04 will remain indelibly stamped in the mind of every Arsenal fan. And yet the present-day young Gunners look even more stylistic and spectacular at times.

What they are lacking is a brilliant striker in the Henry mould and a bit more strength in the defensive line. Arsenal could have comfortably won the match against United if Emmanuel Adebayor had only kept his cool in his one-on-one with Edwin Van der Sar. And they had the chances to score at least two more.

But as soon as they took the lead, the psychological tension kicked in. And when United equalised from the penalty spot there was only going to be one winner. The leveller only further triggered frustrations for Arsenal - as proved by a reckless kick from the usually-placid Aleksandr Hleb. Once again, the Gunners had lost their heads.

But they are still young - they will learn. This campaign has been captivating and, no matter what happens between now and the end of the season, Arsenal have made great strides. Next season they will only continue to close the gap on United and Chelsea.

They may have lost this battle but for me, the war is far from over.