One point from three Premier League games and another defensive meltdown by his Chelsea team prompted Antonio Conte to deliver a warning to his players about living on their reputations.
'We are a great team only on paper, not on the pitch,' said Conte. 'I prefer to be a great team not only on paper but also on the pitch. The pitch is the truth. The pitch speaks.
'The pitch is the most important thing for us: not the words, not on paper. We must work to change this. We must work a lot.
'Last season was a bad season. We must have last season present in our mind to not repeat the mistakes. We must reflect a lot to find very soon the right way.
'We know there are many difficulties. We have not got the balance and now is the moment to consider everything. It is incredible to concede three goals.'
Chelsea were 2-0 down inside a quarter of an hour - the first was an absolute gift for Alexis Sanchez from Gary Cahill – and these dreadful starts are becoming a habit.
Against Liverpool, Conte's team were two down in 36 minutes and at Leicester in the EFL Cup two down in 34 minutes before fighting back to win in extra-time.
Thirteen goals have been conceded in eight games and seven in three without John Terry although praying for the fitness of a 35-year-old is not a feasible long-term plan.
Conte refused to blame Cahill. 'We must all take responsibility,' he said, but it is the Italian manager who must find a solution.
Chelsea's defenders have not reacted well to his instructions and, early in the second-half, the manager switched to a back-three, always his preferred system when in charge of both Juventus and Italy.
By this point, Arsenal had the game won and were over-elaborating in search of a fourth.