Arsenal showed they still haven't learnt anything from their past mistakes in the 3-3 draw against Anderlecht in the Champions League on Tuesday, pouring forward in numbers despite leading the match 3-0, and with it leaving their defence ridiculously exposed.
While a lot of the blame should go to the manager Arsene Wenger for not being able to control that attacking instinct according to the situation, and instil that ability to finish off a game, former Liverpool and Manchester City midfielder firmly laid the blame on the players – one in particular.
Dietmar Hamann believes it was the selfishness of Arsenal's forward-thinking players, which allowed Anderlecht to come from 3-0 down and draw 3-3, with it as good as ending the English Premier League side's hopes of finishing top of Group D.
"The naivety is staggering," said Hamann according to the Metro. "They were still attacking at 3-0, 3-1 with five and six men at a time.
"All they were interested in was scoring goals, they didn't think about the team's success, the win. In the end they got the ultimate punishment.
"It's not acceptable for a team that wants to win trophies at the highest level."
Pausing for breath in a high-octane game is best done at the back according to Hamann, who singled out Aaron Ramsey, the Arsenal midfielder who has not quite hit the heights of last season yet, as the most culpable.
"One thing I learned in football early on was that if you need a rest, you take it at the back," added the former defensive midfielder. "You don't run forward so you can't get back. In the end they attacked with five, six players, all interested in scoring.
"The main culprit was Ramsey. He wanted to get on the scoresheet. He wasn't interested in the team's success, whether the team was going to win or not concede and secure the three points.
"They wanted to get on the scoresheet and in the end they got punished."
While Arsenal are still in pole position to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, those two points dropped means they have very little chance of finishing ahead of Borussia Dortmund at the top of Group D.
As the Gunners have found out time and again over the past several seasons, finishing second in the group means you are likely to get one of the favourites for the Champions League title, with Arsene Wenger's men facing the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich time and again in the round of 16.
