Arteta must ensure wobble does not become bad habit

EVERY title-chasing side, especially one as young as Mikel Arteta's, will suffer setbacks, but how Arsenal respond to Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Sean Dyche's Everton could define their season.

- Dan Kilpatrick

In the last two seasons, their defeats have typically been clustered together, including the back-to-back losses against Tottenham and Newcastle at the end of last term, which cost them Champions League football.

Since then, the League leaders are transformed and have responded positively to their infrequent setbacks, notably after their first defeat by Manchester United in September, which was followed by a run of eight successive victories in all competitions.

Defeat on Merseyside, though, came on the back of a loss by the same scoreline at Manchester City in the FA Cup and, while neither result is a disaster in isolation, together they hint at a possible return of Arsenal's streakiness ahead of a crucial week. The manner of their performance will also have concerned Arteta, even if City's defeat at Spurs yesterday has ensured the result was not as costly as it might have been.