Dennis Bergkamp claimed in the buildup to Arsenal's Champions League tie against AC Milan that it was predictable, lacked characters and a winning mentality.
On the evidence of the 4-0 thumping by the Italians at San Siro, Arsenal's heaviest loss in European competition since their debut in 1963, the former Invincibles understated their problems, though Bergkamp would have gained no satisfaction from being proven correct after the Gunners were not so much beaten but humiliated.
Arsenal was clueless, heartless, spineless and hopeless. Even the normally fiercely loyal Arsene Wenger, so often in denial and blind to his team's weaknesses, admitted it was "a shocking performance . . . a night never to forget."