Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said it was time for a “reset” after the 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League.
It was only the Gunners’ second loss in 16 matches this season and meant they are still not sure of a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
They now need to beat Zurich at home in their final group game next Thursday to guarantee they go through.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Arteta said: “It’s the end of a long, long run. It’s the first defeat after a long period. It’s time to reset. It’s time to analyse what has happened.
“Congratulations to PSV. They were the better team, there’s no question about that and we were nowhere near our level today. We were extremely poor.
“I didn’t feel we had the threat and the aggression that we’ve been playing with and that was worrying.”
Although Premier League leaders Arsenal have made a fine start to their season, recent performances are perhaps a cause for some concern.
Prior to their loss in Holland, they struggled in the second half of recent matches against Southampton and Leeds.
Arteta admitted: “We’ve had periods where we’ve been excellent and had periods where we have suffered.
“We haven’t had the consistency for 95 minutes to maintain the level that we want. That is the next challenge for this team.”