It was more of an Italian sob for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as they were comprehensively conquered by AC Milan at San Siro.
And bookmakers have now made Pep Guardiola favourite to provide the remedy to cure Arsenal’s trophyless ills at 7/1 after last night's chastening defeat in the Italian capital.
Even the normally cool Wenger hit out at his team's poor play, describing their efforts as a "shocking performance".
Catalan Guardiola looks set to end his brief but brilliant tenure at Barcelona this summer and his availability - coupled with Barça's similar footballing ethos to those in N5 - may be too good for the Emirates board to ignore, irrespective of their public allegiance to their maddening manager.
For Thierry Henry, bidding adieu once again, the parallels to his last goodbye to the club were eerily similar. Back in 2007 Henry played (seemingly) his last match for Arsenal in a home draw that saw Wenger’s side dumped out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven. Milan have virtually assured that same fate after overpowering their brittle opponents.
Part of the pitch resembled a matted carpet at the Giuseppe Meazza, but it was telling that Wenger neglected to cite its role in his side’s downfall. Usually one for complaining over the finest minutiae in defeat, the Frenchman instead described his team’s display as a ‘disaster’ and ‘shocking’.
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Milan are a shade of the aura of their great sides under Sacchi, Capello and Ancelotti the last 20 years, but Arsenal were toothless. The mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic is often accused of underperforming against the toughest opponents, but on last night’s evidence, Arsenal don’t fall into that category.
Controversially sent off at this stage last season, Robin van Persie arrived in Milan with a score to settle and left with a future to settle. Elsewhere. Looking disenchanted and feeling forlorn, the Dutchman’s contract ends in June 2013 and with averageness spreading through the squad more aggressively than before, the incentives to stay are few.
If his departure would signal Arsenal’s fading then star, then Theo Walcott’s departure would brighten up many fans. Substituted at half time last night, he produced another brainless performance as even his manager could not mask his ineptitude at the highest level of club football.
A football addict, Wenger would struggle without his fix if he were to jump ship into the abyss of unemployment, but the dissent within the club’s following is mounting for him to be pushed.
Ex-Gunners captain read the riot act succinctly:
Meanwhile influential supporters were equally scathing: