COMMENT: Ah, winning. Those three points. It just makes things easier. Right? Especially when it's done in a derby. Against a top four rival. Indeed, against Chelsea...
But for Arsenal, it's still there. That black cloud. And no, we're not talking Mesut Ozil. Nor Aaron Ramsey. Or even Hector Bellerin's knee (yeah, winning does lighten the load).
It's Diamond Eye. Sven Mislintat. And the whole chatter about the future at Arsenal of their highly-rated 'head of recruitment'. The man Arsenal made the first technical director to switch clubs for a transfer fee. Only just over a year ago. Yet now the expectations are - in both London and across Germany - that a parting of ways is inevitable.
So what's gone wrong? Why the sudden collapse of the relationship?
Well, this - in terms of approach to the job - is a breakdown in culture. Yes, Bayern Munich have interfered. Yes, there has been some contact with Mislintat about returning to the Bundesliga. But it's been tentative at best. Catching wind of the former Borussia Dortmund chief scout being unsettled - even unhappy - in his current role, of course Bayern are going to let him know they'd welcome a chat. However, the biggest takeaway from this part of the saga is simply the regard that Mislintat is held in across Europe - and what Arsenal now risk giving up.
The influence of Bayern in this drama is minor. Where things have really fallen down is how the two biggest powerbrokers now running transfer policy approach their job.
For Raul Sanllehi, formerly of Barcelona and now Arsenal's football director, recruitment is based on scouting. A deep network of contacts. And trusting the eye of those talent spotters he leans on.
In Mislintat's case, it's about stats. Not to the extremes of Moneyball. But he does rely heavily upon data analysis. Indeed, the German co-founded such a data driven scouting company, Matchmetrics, which is used by many clubs across Europe.
It was this approach that saw Mislintat bring Lucas Torreira to the club from Sampdoria. Tasked with finding a midfielder similar to N'Golo Kante, of Chelsea, Mislintat's software coughed up Torreira as the best alternative. And to be fair, Diamond Eye's program has proved itself.
But that's not to say Mislintat is married to the stats approach. Another of last summer's coups - Matteo Guendouzi - was signed on his recommendation after scouting the teen personally when turning out for L2 Lorient last season. Unlike those committed to the cold, impersonal approach of Moneyball, Mislintat is happy to mix and match to uncover the best talent.
But he also - in terms of recruiting - has his principles. And as what happened in his time with Dortmund, if he feels slighted there's little room for compromise. Thomas Tuchel, now coach of PSG, infamously banned Mislintat from BVB's training ground after the pair fell out over one big name signing. Mislintat had insisted they move for Fernando Torres, then of Atletico Madrid, but Tuchel was not interested. In the end, Torres left for Japan and the relationship between Mislintat and Tuchel never recovered.
The feeling today is history is about to repeat itself. While there is some credence to Mislintat's unhappiness at being passed over in the wake of Ivan Gazidis' departure for AC Milan. Not landing the technical director's post discussed with Gazidis when he was still Gunners chief exec isn't at the heart of the German's frustration.
It is the Sanllehi approach. The thought of being overruled on signings - even when his stats all point to a sure thing. And when Unai Emery, the manager, is clearly closer to his fellow Spaniard, Mislintat knows he's going to find himself more and more isolated.
Which, it must be said, he does bear some responsibility for. There was a story last week about scouts being critical of Mislintat calling a recent meeting on a Saturday - when they'd normally be out at games. On first flush, the source involved sounded petty. The story simply mischief making. But after a couple of calls and you can understand the slight resentment. Mislintat isn't actually living permanently in London. He has a local base. But also commutes from his family home in Kamen, Germany. In other words, despite 14 months in the job, he hasn't gone all in with his family and relocated to England.
For his part, Sanllehi doesn't see the problem and is happy for Mislintat to carry on. In terms of rivalry, for the former Barcelona jack-of-all-trades, there simply isn't one. He knows the value Mislintat brings to the table.
Which is why, for Arsenal's sake. Indeed, for the Premier League's sake. They must find a way to ease Mislintat's frustrations and convince him to stay. He is simply far too talented to be lost to the club - and the league - after working so hard to bring him to London.
Beating Chelsea on Saturday has eased the recent tension threatening the strides Arsenal's new management team have made. With a bit of calm inside the club, now is the ideal time to thrash out any differences amongst themselves - and hang onto one of best talent spotters in the game today.
