Mikel Arteta was measured as he shut the door on Craven Cottage's away dressing room after the final whistle on Sunday. No tirade. No berating.
The Arsenal head coach would have been well within his rights to let rip with a few home truths, of course.
His team had just suffered their second consecutive loss, their fourth of the season.
But more than that, Arsenal's performance was wretched - their worst of the campaign by some distance.
Yet, by all accounts, the Spaniard managed to keep it together whilst making his disappointment abundantly clear.
That's not to say Arteta isn't burning inside. He was delighted with the way his team played in the 2-0 win over Brighton on December 17 and then in the draw at Liverpool six days later.
His glee was justified. His team were excellent in both. Not so much since.
Arteta exonerated his players of blame in last Thursday's home loss to West Ham. But in his heart of hearts, Arteta knows his team were below par against the Hammers.
There was no such hiding place at Fulham on Sunday. Indeed, Arteta is said to have grown increasingly agitated at recent results.
The dominant victory over Brighton is Arsenal's solitary win in six matches.
But prior to that run it's pertinent to recall that they required an injury time winner from Declan Rice to defeat Luton, who scored two past them, and, similarly, an 89th minute strike from Kai Havertz to see off Brentford at the end of November.
It would be an over-reaction to imply that the wheels are coming off. But the nuts are loosening.
But with 18 games to play there's still time to rectify the situation.
The obvious means of doing so would be in the transfer market. There is a willingness to do so, but the constraints of FFP regulations after a near
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