Arsenal's hopes of salvaging what's been a disastrous campaign disappeared last night when they crashed out of the UEFA Europa League. As a result, the club are more than likely to be without European football next season for the first time in a quarter of a century. For those below a certain age, this is a new low.
Arteta's side failed to overturn the 2-1 defeat suffered in eastern Spain a week prior, and while the Gunners boss bemoaned the fact his team struck the woodwork twice on the night and were without key players, it's difficult to see how the 39-year-old survives this latest disappointment.
A change must be made.
In the eyes of everybody else, Arsenal failed to register more than two shots on target in a game they had no choice but to win. Not for the first time this season though, Arteta chose to focus on the few chances they did create rather than the actual issue - the team's overall lack of creativity.
Make no mistake about it, those calling for the manager's head are not doing so based on this one display or even the fact it was Unai Emery who stuck the hypothetical knife in. It's been a season plagued with under-par performances, questionable team selections, and costly individual errors.
The initial reaction to such a damaging result was always going to be fuelled by disappointment, anger and frustration. However, even after the dust has settled it's impossible to defend the man ultimately responsible for what's been an embarrassing campaign.
When assessing how Arsenal got here, of course there are plenty of reasons outside of the boss' control that have contributed to their lowly league position and European implosion. However, to dismiss the many mistakes he has made would be disingenuous.
When Arteta spoke post-match you could feel the emotion in his voice and the disappointment was written all over his face. The decision to appoint a coach who was believed to be 'the next big thing' was an experiment that has failed thus far, but his reaction was not that of a man who doesn't care at least.
? "We are all devastated. The players are really down. We wanted to deliver something for this football club."
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 6, 2021
? The boss reacts to our #UEL elimination ?
Watching the aforementioned interview, it would have been easy to buy the excuses and feel sympathy for a manager clearly wounded and in some ways bemused by what he'd just witnessed. But with dust now settled and the overriding feeling of anger which immediately followed the full-time whistle has since turned into one of sadness and deep concern.
The realisation of the fact this once-great football club are no longer anything more than a mid-table team playing in an expensive stadium hurts.
This is the consequence of more than a decade's worth of mistakes. That's true. However, under Arteta's management it's impossible to deny the fact the team have regressed and there's been very little to suggest he has what it takes to turn things around.
Arteta may well go on to become a top coach having learned from his difficult experiences at the Emirates Stadium. The reality is that the club are going through their most difficult period in recent history and this season has proven he isn't the right man to guide them back up a difficult slope.
Source : 90min