Arsenal do not expect to soar in tonight's Champions League match with Panathinaikos at Highbury. Arsene Wenger's team, distressed by the halt Manchester United called to their unbeaten run of 49 Premiership matches, could only thwart Southampton with a stoppage-time equaliser on Saturday. The manager concedes that self-belief has been impaired.
"When you fly, it takes you time," Wenger said. "You don't go up to 2,000 feet straight away. You have to get up there slowly again . . . Confidence goes away quickly and comes back slowly."
For the time being, Arsenal are in the departure lounge of Group E, waiting for the announcement they can go on to the knockout phase. Victory this evening will put them on eight points, with, by Wenger's calculation, an 80 per cent chance of qualifying.
All the same, there is no statistical method of assessing a team's mood and the Champions League is not normally the place where Arsenal rediscover their conviction. Their past two games there, away to Rosenborg and Panathinaikos, ended in draws although Wenger's team led on both occasions. Their only win in the past couple of weeks was delivered by a shadow line-up at Manchester City in the League Cup. So how do they recover their verve?
"By not wondering too much about how to play and by just being ourselves," Wenger answered. "Against Manchester United we played a tactical game but you get that in the big matches. It was a bit detrimental to our attacking game.
"Against Southampton, we were a little bit flat with our mental energy. They were well-organised but I felt we let them slow us down in our passing and therefore they slowly destroyed our confidence."
Sol Campbell's calf problem will again keep him out and the manager does not envisage him returning to action until November 13th, when Arsenal play his old club Tottenham at White Hart Lane. "What a coincidence," Wenger remarked sardonically of that torrid comeback.
England had better not expect Campbell to be available for the friendly in Spain four days later.
Edu has a calf knock and will not be available until the weekend. Since it will take three more months for Gilberto to recover fully from a cracked vertebra, there is little option but to pair the gifted teenager Cesc Fabregas with Vieira in midfield.
Arsenal, the only club without a booking in the Champions League, could pretend they are the bruised innocents of the competition, but Wenger knows learning to cope with the damage, whether caused accidentally or deliberately, is part of the sport. His much-fouled young winger Jose Antonio Reyes has had an intensive education recently.
"It's like boxing when you get one knock, two knocks, three knocks," said Wenger, "you can still go out but you're not exactly the same any more. Reyes has to cope and when he adapts to it he will be even stronger."
The manager could give the Spaniard, who has a hand injury, some respite by restoring Robert Pires to the line-up. Wenger also has to give serious consideration to the claims of Robin van Persie, who came on to score Saturday's equaliser against Southampton. Whoever is picked may find the occasion taxing.
"They will try to stop us from getting into our flow," Wenger said of Panathinaikos. "They will be physically committed. The Greeks showed in the European Championship they are well organised and can stop opponents from playing well."
Arsenal will put themselves in difficulties in the group if they do not win. Since Panathinaikos's away record in European competition is poor and they have never won in seven visits to England, the Premiership champions should, however, improve their own morale this evening.
Meanwhile in Group G, Inter Milan have no need to chase a repeat of their side's 5-1 demolition of Valencia two weeks ago,when the sides meet at the San Siro stadium tonight. With a maximum nine points from their three matches so far, Inter know a win by any margin would guarantee them a place in the knockout phase.
Inter are without defenders Giuseppe Favalli, who injured himself against Lazio at the weekend, and Sinisa Mihajlovic, still banned for spitting at Adrian Mutu in last season's competition.
In the other group game Werder Bremen are at home to Anderlecht, who have yet to manage a point. But Werder will be without defender Petri Pasanen who has returned to Finland following the death of his mother.
ARSENAL (4-4-2, possible): Lehmann; Lauren, Toure, Cygan, Cole; Ljungberg, Fabregas, Vieira, Reyes; Bergkamp; Henry.
PANATHINAIKOS (3-5-1-1, possible): Chalkias; Morris, Goumas, Kyrgiakos; Vintra, Mitu, Bassinas, Skacel, Konstantinidis; Gonzalez; Konstantinou.
Referee: L Cantalejo (Spain).
