As far back as two weeks ago, when Arsenal were in an even better position than they are now, Liverpool players said they could sense that Arteta's side were tense; that their body language wasn't comfortable.
It was much worse on Sunday. Manchester United sensed blood, went for it, and have now sent Arsenal spinning and reeling.
The mood among the squad was said to be one of angst on Monday.
That might seem natural after a 3–2 defeat like that… but should it be?
It's actually remarkable when you stand back.
Arsenal are still four points clear in the league. They had been in relatively good form, as their lead at the top of the table illustrates. In two other competitions, they defeated two quality sides in Chelsea and Internazionale with relative ease. The victory at the San Siro was almost only notable for how business-like it was.
That's just what this team do. Such performances strengthen the argument that they are actually the best team in Europe right now.
Or, at least, they are when they actually play with a sense of freedom – because that is very much not the case in the Premier League right now.
A team with all of these qualities now looks like it needs the psychological reset of a mid-season break. The transformation has been remarkable.
Arsenal's last three matches – two 0–0s and a 3–2 defeat – have been surrounded by tension.
It's all the worse since the game immediately before that was a 4–1 win over putative title challengers Aston Villa, when Arteta's side did indeed seem to show their true level and dispatch Unai Emery's team from the title race.
So, what's changed?
Some of it is the immense weight that comes from, well, the wait; the grand quest to finally be champions again.
I wrote a piece on exactly this before that 0–0 against Liverpool, and how Arsenal's biggest opposition might be themselves. Manchester United felt this ahead of the 1992–93 title, and Liverpool were similar at various points during their 30-year wait – especially in 2013–14.
Every season makes it worse. Every inch you get closer actually makes the pain all the more acute.
Arsenal aren't there yet, but they're getting there. Twenty-two years is already a long time for a big club to go without a title, and that is a club with plenty of experience of this.
One of the defining works of modern football culture is actually about a long Arsenal wait for a title: Fever Pitch.
This clearly feeds into the home crowd, which has now been the subject of much debate, even if it is subconscious. There's an institutional memory.
If all that is inevitable, however, then so too is the question of how you deal with it.
This is where Arteta now has some choices.
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