Arsenal’s misery following what has been a wretched season was compounded on Thursday as they crashed out of the Europa League to Villarreal.
And of course it had to be Arsenal’s former manager Unai Emery who would end up haunting them, with the north London club on the brink of missing out on European football altogether for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
The club, who pride themselves on being European regulars, are in huge danger of slipping further into obscurity as they languish in ninth in the Premier League.
The pressure has ramped up on Mikel Arteta following Arsenal’s disastrous Europa League exit
And following the nightmare Europa League exit, their former star Freddie Ljungberg – who took the reigns briefly after Emery’s sacking – claimed it will be very tough for the club to stoop any lower.
‘I hope that this is the rock bottom and it can change from here,’ Ljungberg told BT Sport following the final whistle at the Emirates.
‘It really, really hurts but I think there needs to be a change in how they invest into the club, and change the pattern that we get worse and worse every year.’
There are worrying times ahead at Arsenal but how did they hit ‘rock bottom’ under Mikel Arteta and is he still the man to lead the club forward? Sportsmail takes a close look…
TOTALLY UNINSPIRING AND TOOTHLESS
Many Arsenal fans will tell you that watching their side play has become a chore in recent times. Not only our results on the slide, but their style of football is becoming more and more predictable and boring as the matches go by.
Arteta’s first job back at the Emirates was shoring up the defence, which he did so well when he took charge with stubborn displays against Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup semi-final and Man United at Old Trafford this term standing out.
However as he prioritised the defence, he struggled to find the right balance going forward and while there have been glimpses of life in attack, there has been no consistency.
With Aubameyang not firing, which we will get on to soon, the impetus falls on those behind him to deliver the goods but there simply hasn’t been any threat from midfield either.
Arsenal have been massively uninspiring in front of goal in what has been a horrid season
There is no cutting edge in the Arsenal attack at present, or any real sort of game with Arteta’s side even struggling to string a number of passes together – as was evident in the drab 0-0 draw against Villarreal on Thursday with the Gunners needing just one goal to go through.
Long gone are the glory days when Arsenal would torment opposition defences with their scintillating, free-flowing football under Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal have been toothless going forward all season, scoring just 46 goals from 34 matches in the Premier League as they battle for a place in the top half of the table.
Champions-elect City have scored 25 more goals than Arsenal this season, with nine teams overall having found the net more than Arteta’s men.
AUBAMEYANG’S STRUGGLES
After signing his £250,000-per-week contract at the start of the season, his renewal was seen as a statement of intent by Arsenal.
Having just guided Arsenal to FA Cup glory thanks to his goalscoring heroics at Wembley against Man City and Chelsea, it was time to push on and help get the club back among England’s elite.
But simply put, it has been a horrid season for Aubameyang, having netted just 15 times in 36 matches across all competitions. Compare this to previous seasons, and he is nowhere near his best.
While goals have dried up, he has also found himself on the periphery of many matches this season, and sometimes even struggles to get into goalscoring positions which continues to worry Arsenal fans. Their most deadly striker isn’t delivering and it’s no coincidence they find themselves fighting it out in mid-table.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hasn’t delivered the goods for the Gunners this campaign
It must be noted though that Aubameyang has endured unsettling times off the pitch this season, which certainly has hindered his impact in the team.
Aubameyang was granted compassionate leave by Arsenal in January to care for his mother in France when she fell ill.
He then contracted the killer disease malaria while on international duty with Gabon, which came as a massive set back as he looked to get his and Arsenal’s now doomed season back on track.
If Arteta is still in the job come the beginning of next season, he will need Aubameyang firing from the off.
MARQUEE SIGNING PARTEY CAN’T FIND FORM
Thomas Partey’s £45million deadline day signing from Atletico Madrid last summer was met with massive excitement among Arsenal supporters. They finally had that box-to-box, combative presence they have desperately craved.
And he started life in north London impressively, specifically starring as Arsenal dominated Man United at Old Trafford in the Premier League during their 1-0 victory back in November last year.
But a long time has past since and Partey, coinciding with injury setbacks, has struggled to find his best form.
Thomas Partey has struggled to find his best form since signing from Atletico Madrid
Partey has been on the sidelines several times this season with various setbacks, including a hip and hamstring injury. Therefore, he has struggled to get a proper run under his belt in what has been a stop-start season.
But while he has been in the starting line-up, he has struggled to convince and dominate the midfield. He has been sloppy on the ball at times in dangerous areas while his long-range shooting leaves a lot to be desired.
Simply put, he has struggled to adapt in the Premier League and injuries have certainly played there part in his struggles.
However, Arsenal fans know what he can offer on his day, and they will be praying he can perform consistently from the start next season without the distraction of European football.
OVER-RELIANT ON THE YOUNG GUNS
It speaks volumes about the quality and leadership of a team when the best players have been their youngsters.
This season, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have been the shining lights in what has been a disastrous season for the club.
Saka has been performing to a very high standard for most of the season while the emergence of Smith Rowe when Arsenal were in crisis mode before Christmas helped galvanise the side somewhat.
But the youngsters, to no fault of their own, have inevitably had days when they’re not fully at it. And this is when they need the experienced players around them to step up to the plate.
Arsenal have already become over-reliant on youngsters Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe
But that hasn’t been the case this season and that was evident during the lifeless performance against Villarreal.
With the side desperately needing just one goal, Arteta had no one to take the game by the scruff of the neck. And that is with £72m man Nicolas Pepe and £56m attacker Aubameyang on the pitch with even more experience behind them.
While Saka and Smith Rowe’s emergence offers genuine hope to Arsenal fans, the young duo can’t do it all on their own.
VERY QUESTIONABLE DECISION-MAKING
The pressure has of course ramped up on Arteta after their season ended following their Europa League exit on Thursday night.
The campaign has been a horror show from start to finish, and even four more Premier League matches won’t do anything to lift the mood in north London.
The clouds are looming large over Arteta and while his players haven’t delivered for him, he needs to reflect on his own mistakes in his first full season in charge of the club.
And one area of his management that is massively under the spotlight is his decision-making in the heat of the moment. Time after time this season, he has made questionable substitutions with his side chasing a result, and Thursday was no different.
The decision to take off Aubameyang against Villarreal while needing a goal was a strange one
With Arsenal requiring just the one goal with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, it would be the opportune time to chase it and bring on your main attacking threats. But while Alexandre Lacazette and Willian came on, it was Aubameyang who made way.
Yes the Gabon star has had a frustrating season but surely you don’t take off your most lethal striker on his day when you need one goal to seal a spot in a European final.
Throughout the season, his reluctance to play Gabriel Martinelli more while continuing to put his faith in the ageing Willian has baffled Arsenal fans.
He also needs to be more proactive with his substitutions – far too often he has made changes too late on when the momentum has died.
SOME AWFUL TRANSFER BUSINESS
While January’s window offered some encouragement, getting rid of plenty of deadwood and bringing in Martin Odegaard on loan, there is still much more to do on the transfer business front.
For years now, Arsenal have been rather negligent in the transfer window, spending a whole load of money on ‘marquee signings’ that have indeed proved a waste. The Gunners need to be much smarter and build for the future around the likes of Saka and Smith Rowe.
They need to stop with their dodgy dealings, such as Willian in particular. The Brazilian’s signing hasn’t worked out one bit – he has yet to score a single goal for the club in 36 appearances – and now Arsenal are stuck with him.
The signing of Willian from Chelsea has proved a disaster for the north London side
Arsenal signed Willian on a free transfer from London rivals Chelsea, and the experienced winger is being paid £220,000-a-week.
That’s a whole lot of money to fork out on a 32-year-old past his sell by date. It is reckless spending that needs to be reigned in.
When you’re trying to close the gap on England and Europe’s elite, why spend big money on ageing stars that will inevitably become deadwood?
CHAOS OFF THE PITCH
Arteta has not been helped one bit by proceedings off the pitch, specifically those influenced by under-fire owner Stan Kroenke.
Kroenke has always been disliked by Arsenal fans but the decision to join the botched European Super League has fuelled their hatred even further.
And Arsenal supporters have since come together to protest against Kroenke and the decision to become a founding member of the Super League, which threatened UEFA’s flagship competitions.
Furious Arsenal supporters continue to protest against under-fire owner Stan Kroenke
Prior to the Everton defeat last month, thousands of furious Arsenal fans gathered outside the Emirates to make their ill-feelings known before a small section of supporters did the same prior to the Villarreal clash on Thursday.
An inexperienced manager like Arteta needs stability from above and an owner who has the club’s best interests at heart – not someone driven simply by making a profit on their own fortunes.
BUT IS ARTETA THE MAN TO TURN IT AROUND?
Arteta is somewhat lucky that Arsenal’s hierarchy don’t take the hire-and-fire approach, otherwise the Spaniard would have been long gone, just like Frank Lampard at Chelsea. Look at them now!
It feels likely that Arteta will remain in the Arsenal hotseat at the start of next season, but he will have a huge task on his hands to win back any trust from the Arsenal faithful.
No European football may come as a blessing in disguise, allowing Arteta and his side to focus solely on the Premier League without the stress of a hectic schedule clubs get competing in either the Champions League or Europa League.
But before the season gets underway, Arteta – alongside technical director Edu – will need a huge summer transfer window.
Arteta is lucky Arsenal’s hierarchy isn’t ruthless, and he is likely to still be in charge next season
Without the revenue of European football, the club need to be extremely smart and build for the future with low-cost exciting purchases in similar mold to Kieran Tierney’s transfer from Celtic.
Then Arteta can let his management do the talking. The experience of this turbulent season will prove invaluable to him in the long run, and he will only hope it makes him stronger.
But if Arsenal continue in their same dismal form from the off next season, then he will surely realise that he won’t be in his job for much longer.
Arteta has what it takes to be a success, going off the FA Cup triumph and strong form at the end of last season, but he definitely needs to discover a capacity to adapt when things aren’t going his way and rediscover Arsenal’s attacking mojo. If not it could be goodbye soon.
